Big Trouble Comes In Small Packages
by Ayla Thirteen
Summary: A prank gone wrong turns Axel and Demyx into children and leaves the rest of the Organisation in an uproar as they have to deal with the trouble they cause. The chapters are connected, but can also be read as separate stories. WARNING! Contains spanking.
1. Big Trouble Comes In Small Packages

Xemnas pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating how to negotiate a day that already seemed to have gotten off to a bad start. "Alright, would someone please explain what exactly happened here?" he asked. His eyes ran across the assorted members of Organisation XIII that were collected in the large round room. "Luxord?"

The gambler scraped his throat, somehow managing to look embarrassed and smug at the same time. "I think you'd better ask Demyx and Axel, Superior. It was _their_ actions that started it."

"Fine," Xemnas sighed, with small irritation. He could feel a headache coming up. "Axel?"

"Why me?!" the flamewielder protested. "It was Demyx' idea!"

"You're higher in rank, I'm asking you and I'm _losing my patience_! Well?"

"Alright, alright." The redheaded Nobody heaved a sigh. "It's like this, well… Demyx had this idea for a prank…"

"You thought it was a good idea too!" Demyx started in. Xemnas glared at him and he fell silent.

"…this idea for a prank," Axel continued, unperturbed. "It involved Luxord's cards, so we sneaked into his room to get them, only he caught us at it and…"

He was interrupted again, this time by Larxene who was hanging limp over her chair, half-hysterical with laughter. "And he – ha ha – changed you into – hee – little children!"

"That was _not_ my intention," Luxord spoke up. "I was only going to stop time around them, to prevent them from getting away. But something went wrong and time got turned _back_ for them somehow." His lips twitched. "I don't see what the problem is. Surely these two pranksters can be more easily controlled this way."

The dull throbbing Xemnas could feel behind his eyes was definitely developing in a full-blown headache by now. For once he regretted his position as leader of Organisation XIII. He wished he was miles away – any world, anywhere but here, forced to deal with this absurd problem. He forced himself to look at the cause and centre of the problem, taking in the sight he would much, much rather be ignoring.

Luxord sat straight in his chair, smugness by now having scored a definitive victory over embarrassment. He was grinning wickedly at the two Nobodies at his side. Axel and Demyx looked very small and lost in their big chair, barely able to even reach the armrest. They both looked like children of about eight or nine years old – oddly vulnerable-looking in their diminutive Organisation coats. At least those had shrunk with them, Xemnas reflected. Larxene was still in stitches, laughing silently now. The other members of the Organisation bore expressions ranging anywhere from amusement to shock. Xemnas wasn't exactly sure where he ranked himself. He felt mostly exasperated.

"Find a way to change them back." He raised an eyebrow at Luxord. "I assume you _can_ change them back?"

"To be honest, I have no idea. I obviously _tried_, right after… what happened. But I haven't been successful, or we wouldn't be here."

"Well, keep trying," Xemnas said. "Capture some Heartless and experiment on them for all I care. Vexen can help you. We can't send them on missions like this."

"Why not?" Axel shrugged. "Roxas gets sent on missions."

Xemnas sent him a glare that made him cringe, driving home the point of how much trouble he was in. "We can't send you on missions because we have no idea what happened or what more _could_ happen – nor how it affected your powers. I'm not taking any chances." His eyes fell on the Organisation's newest member. "Roxas, you're in charge of looking after these two. Keep them out of trouble."

Roxas nodded, none too pleased with the order, but he wasn't about to protest. Axel and Demyx, however, felt differently. "Oh come on!" Demyx complained. "We don't need a babysitter!"

"On the contrary, I believe you do," Xemnas said icily. "And you'd better be at your best behaviour while we work on a solution to this problem you've created."

He did not see the glances the two boys exchanged behind his back. If he had, he might not have left that awkward meeting feeling quite as relieved as he did.

* * *

Missions were suspended until further notice. All members of Organisation XIII lounged about the castle that day, some happy to have a day off, others irritated at the forced idleness. But Xemnas, uncertain of any possible side effects to Luxord's unintended use of his time magic or how it might affect anybody else, did not want to take any more risks.

It did not take long for the boys to get in trouble again. Xaldin, strolling through the case, encountered Roxas, who was looking anxious and annoyed and running frantically through the corridor, almost colliding with the older man.

Xaldin grasped the boy by the shoulders, steadying him. "Whoa, there! What's the rush?" He noticed Roxas was alone. "And where are our two little delinquents?"

Roxas looked flustered. "They, ah, gave me the slip," he admitted. "They said they wanted to play tag and then they ran off in two different directions. That was two hours ago. I've looked everywhere, but I can't find them!" The young Nobody began to panic.

"Alright, calm down," Xaldin said. "Start looking again and I'll help you. I'll take the upper floors, you check the lower ones. We'll meet up in the mission room in half an hour whether we find them or not. Okay?"

Roxas nodded; somewhat relieved he was not left to face the problem alone. "I-I'll check the basement – again," he said and ran off. Xaldin watched him go, shaking his head, and walked away in the other direction.

* * *

Meanwhile, Marluxia was taking the opportunity of the unexpected free day to care for the plants in his room; then went to visit the garden, outside at the back of the castle. He went through the back gate, juggling various gardening implements, looking forward to a nice, quiet afternoon with his plants and flowers. He descended the steps leading down to the garden, and then… froze.

What should have been a wealth of plants, trees and flowers, smells and colours, was now… a pool, a large pool of steaming water, several foot deep, drowning all the plants and flowers Marluxia had so painstakingly planted, with such care. And in the middle of the pool, two little boys were playing happily.

Marluxia was struck speechless. "Wha- wha- wha…" he stammered, unable to form a single sentence. The boys looked up, grinning widely.

"Hot spring," Demyx explained calmly, as if Marluxia was the stupidest person in the world.

* * *

Xaldin arrived back in the mission room before Roxas did. Assorted members of the Organisation were gathered there. The two boys were not present in the room: still missing, the senior Nobody assumed. Larxene was lying comfortably on a couch, reading a magazine. In one corner Xemnas was talking to Saïx, who apparently was giving him the latest report on the progress of Luxord's and Vexen's attempts to reverse the rejuvenation process that afflicted Axel and Demyx. Judging from the look on Xemnas' face, the news, so far, was not good. Xaldin wondered if they knew yet that the boys had run off and if he should tell them. It might get Roxas in trouble, although the boy could hardly be blamed.

The decision was taken out of his hands through intervention of the most uncommon sight: two stark-naked little boys came running into the room, followed by an infuriated Marluxia – who had his scythe out and was waving it around indiscriminately, missing Axel by inches and cleaving a chair in half. The boys led him a merry chase around the room, jumping over tables, climbing over couches, darting around the other Nobodies, who were too stunned to do anything. Larxene had broken out in laughter again, hanging half off her couch in helpless giggles. Even Zexion cracked a smile. But Xemnas wasn't amused.

"Stop this at once!" he thundered. He raised himself to his full height, pointing at Marluxia, who was so out of control that he was foaming at the mouth. "Lexaeus, Xaldin – restrain him! Somebody grab those boys!"

But Demyx and Axel had already darted out the door again. Xaldin and Lexaeus both grabbed hold of Marluxia, forcing him to drop the scythe, which disappeared into nothingness. The Graceful Assassin struggled against his captors, but to no avail. The two older Nobodies were stronger and burlier than him and try as he might, he could not break free. "Let me go!" he raged. "I'll kill them!"

"That would certainly solve our problem," Xemnas stated dryly, "but not in a desirable way. Control yourself, Number Eleven! I can't have one of the members of Organisation Thirteen kill our own. Now would _someone_ fetch those two boys?"

"Looking for something?" came a voice from the doorway. Xigbar strolled in, carrying a struggling, kicking little boy under each arm.

"_Thank_ you," Xemnas said. "Now will someone _please_ tell me what is going on?"

"They destroyed my garden!" Marluxia hissed furiously. "They will _pay_ for that!"

Xemnas motioned at him to be quiet. He looked questionably at the boys, who'd given up fighting Xigbar's grip and were suddenly very busy looking everywhere but at their superior. Xemnas was rapidly losing what little patience he had left. "_Well_?!" he asked, venom in his voice.

"We decided to make a hot spring," Demyx said. "Outside. I created the water and Axel heated it up."

"But we didn't realise it was Marluxia's garden," Axel added.

"How could you _not_ realise?!" Marluxia screeched.

Xemnas felt his headache returning.

"Alright," he said. "I think I get the picture. Number Two, Number Five – take Number Eleven somewhere and have him cool off. Number Seven – take care of these two." He indicated Demyx and Axel. "I'm going to hunt down some aspirin."

Saïx cast a silent "why me?!" at his superior's retreating back before getting to the matters at hand. "You can put them down now, Xigbar. Alright everybody – leave. We don't need an audience for this – _not_ you!" He grabbed Axel by the arm as the boy, sensing freedom, was about to run after Larxene and Zexion. "Xigbar – a hand if you please?"

He exchanged glances with the Freeshooter and the elder Nobody, catching his drift, grinned, nodded and grabbed Demyx by the scruff of his neck. The boy, sensing danger, struggled to get free but to no avail. Xigbar dragged him over to a couch, sat down and dragged him easily across his knees.

Saïx did the same with Axel. The redhead, realising what was about to happen to him, was squirming across his lap, trembling. If Saïx had had a heart, it might have prompted him to take pity on the small boy; but as it was, he didn't – so the little delinquent was in for the spanking of his lifetime.

"N-no! Please don't!" Axel pleaded. "We're sorry!"

He was unable to say more as a loud smack echoed through the room. The boy bit back a cry, but he could not hold back a second one as Saïx brought his hand down hard, again and again, across his small bottom. After a few more minutes, Axel could no longer control himself and burst into tears. His behind was starting to feel very hot and painful and he was sure that by now it was as red as his hair. Across the room, on another couch, Demyx was getting the same treatment.

"What are you doing? Stop!"

Saïx, who had been about to wrap up the punishment anyway, halted and looked up to see a very shocked Roxas standing in the doorway. The boy was startled and wide-eyed, uncertain about how to react to this unexpected scene.

"Wait just a bit longer, Number Thirteen," Saïx said. "Your charges will be handed over to you in a moment."

He delivered twelve more hard swats to Axel's bottom (which by now was indeed very red) and then set the little brat on his feet. Xigbar did the same with Demyx. The boys wavered on unsteady feet for a moment, then ran to the only sympathetic person in the room – Roxas. They threw their arms around their babysitter and hid their faces in his leather coat, bawling uncontrollably. Roxas, unsure about what to do, put his arms around them both and hugged them tightly. Saïx let them cry for a moment, then scraped his throat to get their attention. Two very red, tear-stained, guilt-ridden faces peeked out at him from under Roxas's arms.

"Right now I'm not happy with _any_ _of you_," Saïx said icily, his scathing glance not excluding Roxas, who ducked his head self-consciously and hugged the boys a little tighter. "Remember this punishment – if you start any trouble again, you will get worse. For now, you can go back to the garden, get dressed, and try to undo any damage you did. Roxas, see to it that they do. Report to me when you're done. _Dismissed_!"

"Yes sir!" Roxas could not leave the room fast enough. Grabbing the boys firmly by the hand, as if afraid that they would escape again if he let them go, he practically ran. Saïx shook his head; he secretly felt a little sorry for Roxas and he did not envy him the tast of looking after the two little delinquents. Or his own, for that matter – he shook his hand, which felt a little sore. Then he turned to Xigbar, who sat calmly on the couch, one leg across the other. The boys didn't know it yet, but they weren't quite done being punished.

* * *

Demyx drained the water from the hot spring and Axel dried the earth with his fire magic, but they weren't able to do anything else to undo the damage they did to the garden. Drowned plants were lying limp over the ground, flower beds were in ruins and only the trees seemed to have survived the ordeal more or less intact. Roxas surveyed the small disaster area with dismay. Marluxia was going to be pissed off for _days_.

"This'll have to do," he sighed. "Let's report to Saïx. You'll have to apologise to Marluxia later," he added sternly.

Demyx made a face. "Aw noooo!"

"Big Brother Roxas is no fun," Axel complained. He smacked Demyx on the arm. "Hey, let's pretend that we're pirates!"

"Let's"

"Haven't you two gotten in enough trouble for one day?" Roxas asked, having nightmare visions of two little pirates looting and pillaging the castle. "Do you really want to be spanked again?"

This sobered up the two little boys. Their hands flew to their bottoms, still red and sore after the harsh punishment.

"No Roxas."

"We'll be good."

They allowed themselves to be led back to the mission room without comment, although they lagged behind a bit when they entered, unsure of what their reception would be.

"Good timing," Saïx said. Some of the other Nobodies had filtered back into the room as well, but they paid the boys no heed. "Vexen and Luxord seem to have come up with something. Go to Vexen's laboratory at once – the sooner things are back to normal, the better."

* * *

The laboratory was not the nicest place to be at the best of times, but right now the smell coming out of the half-open door was particularly unpleasant. Axel and Demyx gagged from the stench and almost refused to enter. Roxas had to drag them inside.

Their eyes were watering from the smoke. Vexen and Luxord were wearing goggles; they were very hard at work on some kind of potion which made Roxas ill just looking at it. It was a sickly brown color and seemed to be boiling of its own accord: putrid vapour rose from the beaker. Zexion stood at the back of the lab, away from the smoke, observing the process with mild interest.

Roxas opened his mouth, but immediately started coughing. He got the attention he wanted though; the gambler and the scientist turned to look at the boys.

"You're here – good," Luxord said, pulling Axel and Demyx into the room. "Go sit over there," he pointed at some chairs in the back. "The potion will be ready in a bit: it just needs to cool down."

"Why do we need to sit?" Demyx asked, rubbing his bottom.

"I'd rather stand," Axel said, eyeing the door with longing. That potion _stank_.

"Sit _down_," Luxord said, pushing the boys down on the chairs. They both yelped.

"This potion's so potent it'll knock you off your feet if you don't," Vexen quipped. He lifted the beaker with some tongs and divided the foul-smelling liquid over two glasses. The boys eyed it with suspicion. "Are you sure this will work?" Axel asked.

"Well, we'll find out in a minute, won't we?" Vexen cackled. "And if something goes wrong – well, no great loss." He handed each boy a glass, which they accepted without enthusiasm. "Drink up."

Demyx sniffed at the liquid and wrinkled his nose. "Don't wanna," he whined.

Vexen suddenly became as cold as the ice he wielded. "Drink up – _or else_!" he hissed.

Both boys gulped down their drinks in one go.

"Ewuhhh… It's horrible!" Axel gasped.

Demyx couldn't even talk; he was coughing desperately, tears springing in his eyes.

"Is it working?" Roxas asked anxiously.

"I do believe they are growing a bit," Vexen said. "Are they?"

Luxord peered closely at the diminutive Nobodies. "I think – no. No, it's not doing anything," he sighed. "It's a dud, Vexen."

"We- we drank that horrible stuff for _nothing_?" Axel gasped, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Afraid so," Vexen drawled. "Come back in an hour or two – we should have something new to try out by then."

Demyx and Axel couldn't get out of the lab quickly enough. They were followed on their heels by Roxas, who was just as glad to be out in fresh air. He was starting to feel dizzy.

Inside, Vexen and Luxord had turned their attention back to the collection of chemicals and instruments that cluttered the table. Zexion, who had remained silent up until then, coughed softly.

"Vexen," he said. "Was that potion ever supposed to do anything?"

"Of course not," the scientist scoffed. "Something caused by time magic could never be undone by a simple potion. The answer lies somewhere in Luxord's powers. We just have to experiment a bit more."

"Then why - "

"We just wanted to teach those two a lesson." Luxord smirked. "Serves 'em right."

"I see," Zexion said. Shaking his head slightly, he left the room. Everybody was behaving childish today!

* * *

The boys were disgruntled to be told the news that they were to stay in their respective rooms for the rest of the day, but Saïx was adamant. "We obviously can't have you running wild in the castle in your present state," he said. "Poor Roxas' nerves are frayed enough as it is, to say nothing of the rest of us. Besides, you could use the time to reflect on your wrongdoings. Xigbar and I will escort you to your rooms now, to make sure that you get there. And no, I do _not_ trust you to get there on your own," he added when Axel opened his mouth. "You can come with me now, Axel. Xigbar, will you take Demyx?"

The Nobodies left the room like two little prisoners and their wardens. Axel was sullen and moody as Saïx shoved him into his room. As he expected, the blue-haired Nobody locked the door when he left. The redhead flopped belly-down on his bed, wishing for something – anything – with which to occupy his mind. But the room was characteristically empty. There was nothing else to do for the young Nobody but to let his thoughts roam and – as Saïx had ordered him to – reflect.

* * *

Demyx' thoughts were equally dark and sour and would turn darker still. When he'd entered his room and was about to slam the door in Xigbar's face, the grizzled Nobody'd stepped forward, halting the door's swing with his foot. "Just a minute, young man. Give me your sitar."

"What? Why?" Demyx stared at him, horrified.

"Because we want you to think about the trouble you caused, not kicking back and enjoying yourself. Are you going to oblige or will I have to take you over my knee again?"

Grumbling, Demyx summoned his sitar and handed it over. He hated to be parted of his favourite instrument. Even more, he hated the idea of being locked in his empty room for the rest of the day without it. But when Xigbar closed and locked the door behind him, a sly grin crept across his face. If he could not leave through the door, there was always the window!

He waited for a bit until he was certain that Xigbar had gone back to whatever it was that Xigbar did, then sprang into motion. First order of business was getting his sitar back. He was sure the elder Nobody had hidden it in his own room somewhere. Demyx opened the window and looked out. It was a pretty steep drop, but he was sure he could make it to a ridge not far below. It would not be so much of a jump from there.

Climbing on the windowsill, he carefully lowered his feet until his toes could feel the ridge. It would have been easier if he had still been an adult: he could reach, but only just. He hung on to the windowsill by the tip of his fingers, then let go.

For a moment, he thought that everything would go as planned, but then his feet slipped. He lost his grip and went down, flailing backwards frantically as he fell through the air.

He landed heavily on his backside on the path outside, biting back a cry of pain. He was sure he was going to be bruised all over the next day, but – he checked – no bones broken. He grinned triumphantly. Did they really think they could keep him captured in his own room?

The boy made his way back into the castle, making sure that the corridors were abandoned, and ran to Xigbar's room. He was all but prepared to pick the lock, but to his surprise the door swung open easily. He could not believe his luck. It wasn't locked!

And there was his sitar, standing against the back wall in all its glory. Demyx couldn't suppress a cry of joy as he ran forward to be reunited with his beloved instrument.

The slam of the door nearly made him jump out of the window. Turning slowly, the young boy felt his blood run cold when he saw Xigbar leaning casually against the wall next to the door behind which he had been hiding, his arms crossed and a grim look on his face. Uh-oh!

"And what do you think _you_'re doing?" the Freeshooter asked.

"Um – getting my sitar?" Demyx said flippantly, even though a small voice at the back of his mind whispered that maybe stating the obvious wasn't such a good idea right now.

"I thought so," Xigbar said. "Even though I made it abundantly clear that you couldn't have it?"

"Well… yes…" Demyx' eyes darted frantically across the room, searching for a way out. He yelped as he saw Xigbar coming from him.

The elder Nobody grabbed him firmly by the back of his coat, lifting him off his feet and carrying him like a kitten, back to his room. As they were about to enter, Saïx came 'round the corner. The Organisation's second-in-command halted when he saw them and lifted an eyebrow. "Déjà vu," he said. "Didn't you just deliver him to his room about an hour ago, Xigbar?"

"He escaped," the gunman explained.

"Ah. I'd better check on Axel then – he might have similar ideas. As for _this_ one – deal with him as you see fit."

"I will."

Saïx left and Xigbar carried a frantically struggling Demyx inside. "Alright," the Freeshooter said, putting the boy down and pushing him towards the wall. "Go stand in that corner and contemplate your misdeeds – all of them. I'll be here to make sure you don't escape again."

Demyx stared at him in disbelief. "You're giving me a _time-out_?"

"Unless you'd rather have another spanking?" Xigbar smacked him hard on the bottom and Demyx yelped and ran over to the corner, facing the wall obediently. "Um… how long am I supposed to stand here?"

"Until I say you can leave." Xigbar sat down on Demyx' bed and made himself comfortable.

Demyx risked a glance over his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to stay here all that time? Surely you'd rather…"

Xigbar gave him a pleasant grin. "I assure you, I can't think of a more entertaining pastime. Now face the wall and be quiet."

Demyx sighed and turned back to the wall, resigning himself to what would undoubtedly prove to be a very long and boring afternoon.

* * *

Axel did have the same idea, but different methods. He'd learned from previous experience that it was, indeed, possible to create access to the Dark Corridors from his room. He was sure that Saïx would not expect him to go to another world, not after he'd been expressly forbidden to do so by Xemnas. They'd never find him there!

Saïx opened the door just at the moment that Axel had created a dark portal and stepped through. For a moment, the blue-haired Nobody stood frozen in the door, astonished at the gall of the boy. But with only seconds to act, he didn't have time to think; he spurred into motion and jumped after Axel just before the portal closed.

Anger and irritation battled with concern as he came out on the other side. There was no sign of Axel – how could the boy have disappeared so quickly? He looked around and slowly started to recognize the place. Of course – Halloween Town. Of all the worlds Axel could have chosen, this was the one with the most risk of trouble.

As he walked down the lane to the town centre, he had to fight his way past an uncommonly large number of Heartless. This disconcerted him. What had caused the appearance of so many? Did Axel trigger them as he went past? Maybe he'd slipped by them unnoticed. If he'd had to fight them, Saïx would have encountered him by now. Feeling suddenly very worried, the older Nobody hastened on his way.

Axel might have evaded earlier Heartless, but they caught up with him at the town square. Saïx found him desperately trying to keep shadows and hover ghosts at bay. He realised now why Xemnas had been uneasy about sending Axel and Demyx on missions; while the boy's control over fire was as strong as ever, his small, childish frame had less strength and stamina than a grown man's body and his chakrams had not shrunk with him; they were large and unwieldy in the child's small hands.

At that moment, Axel saw him. "Saïx! Hellllp!" he cried. The older Nobody sprang forward, summoning his claymore and lashing out at the nearest Heartless. But more and more came, threatening to overwhelm them both.

Saïx saw Axel cry out and go down and the sight filled him with a boundless fury. He might not have a heart, but he had memories of having one; and the feelings and past attachments that came with it. And although he would never admit it to anybody, Axel was dearest to him of all members of Organisation XIII. They had entered together and knew each other from their past lives; however strained their friendship had become, that never changed. Losing him was… unconceivable.

His rage fuelled his power and the Heartless fell back before him. Those he didn't destroy at a stroke of his sword, fled – and soon Saïx was the only one left standing. Breathing heavily, he let his fury boil down to a mere mild anger. Which he reserved for…

Axel was lying on his back at the foot of a fountain, unconscious, but – Saïx found to his relief – still breathing. Yet he did not seem to be in good shape; he had deep gashes on his faces and bruises that already started to swell. Saïx knelt down on the cobble stones, pulling the boy on his lap and fishing around in his cloak's pocket for the potion he always carried. He forced the flask's mouth between the pale-faced child's lips and carefully poured some of the liquid into his mouth.

"C'mon Axel, wake up…" He fervently prayed he wasn't too late.

Axel coughed and struggled and nearly spit out the potion again, but he regained consciousness. Saïx sighed in relief and helped him sit up. The boy groaned in pain and the older Nobody made him drink the rest of the potion. The small redhead gulped it down gratefully.

Saïx held him tight for a moment longer, then relief began to make place for irritation. He heaved the boy to his feet and stood towering over him, a perfect picture of rage. Axel, sensing the sudden change of his mood, glanced up and then, after one short look at Saïx' furious face, quickly looked down again.

Saïx grabbed him by an ear, dragged the yelping, protesting boy down the lane and opened the dark portal. "Get in," he ordered. He followed immediately afterwards. They found themselves back at the castle.

"S-Saïx?" Axel said in a small voice. "A-are you very angry? I'm sorry!"

"Oh, not half as much as you're going to be," Saïx growled. He grabbed Axel by the arm and strode off. Halting in front of Marluxia's chamber door, he raised his hand and knocked.

Axel began to tremble in fear. "A-are you going to hand me over to Marluxia?"

Saïx looked down at the small, wide-eyed face looking up at him. "A tempting idea – but no. I doubt he would give you back to me after he's done with you. If there'd be anything _left_ to give back."

The door opened. Axel yelped and jumped behind Saïx, clutching the other Nobody's cloak. Marluxia stood in the door opening. He seemed surprised to see Saïx there – then his face twisted with dark hatred when he noticed Axel, peeking out from behind Saïx' leg.

"Saïx," Marluxia drawled. "Have you changed your mind about letting me punish the boys?"

"Their punishment has already been taken care of, as you well know," Saïx said coolly. "However, this one seems in need of another lesson. Could you make me a switch or some such?"

Marluxia's lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "It'll be my pleasure." He disappeared into the room and returned far too quickly to Axel's liking, carrying a birch switch. He handed the implement to Saïx. "You know - if you need any help, holding him down or something…"

"No thank you, this'll do." Saïx reached behind him, grabbing hold of the hood of Axel's cloak and dragged him into view. "While we're here, Axel, I believe you have something to say to Marluxia?"

The boy seemed to wilt under the gardener's glare. He fidgeted and looked at the floor, as if hoping that a hole would open up and swallow him. "I-I'm sorry about your garden, Marluxia," he stammered. "Me an' Demyx both. We didn't mean to do so much damage. Saïx spanked me real bad for it," he added, hoping that this would mollify the other Nobody a little.

"Axel and Demyx dried out the area," Saïx said, forestalling any more awkward moments – or an answer on Marluxia's part, which would probably be anything but pleasant. "You'd better head down there and see what you can do about the plants. Meanwhile, Axel and I have… unfinished business to attend to."

The air was heavy with apprehension as the two Nobodies walked down the corridor leading to Saïx' room, which was closer than Axel's. Saïx was holding the boy firmly by the hand, but Axel was stalling, dragging his feet and sometimes coming to a full stop entirely, digging in his heels. Saïx had intended the detour past Marluxia's room to be as much a way to calm himself down as to get the switch, but now he could feel his anger and irritation returning. Finally he got fed up with it, twirled around and took the boy by the shoulders.

"Axel," he said. "I _did_ warn you what would happen if you got yourself in trouble again. You've only got yourself to blame." He grabbed the boy's chin and forced him to look up at him. "Now listen. Any attempt at drawing this out, running away or complaining will result in your punishment begin twice as long and twice as painful. Am I making myself clear?"

It was amazing how complacent Axel could be, given the proper motivation.

* * *

The two Nobodies reached Saïx' room without further delay. Saïx made Axel go in first, then locked the door behind them. He sat down on the bed and drew Axel up over his knees, flipping up the boy's coat and gently pulling down his pants and underwear. Axel had been quiet up until then, but now he started to tremble uncontrollably. "Please Saïx!" he begged, clutching at the older Nobody's coat. "I'll be good, I swear! Don't hit me!"

"I'm sorry, Axel," Saïx said, placing his left hand on the boy's back, pinning him in place. "You should have thought about that earlier, when you had the chance. Now – why are you being punished?" He raised the switch high in the air.

"W-what?" Axel said. Saïx brought the switch down hard and a sharp, stinging sensation shot up the boy's rear. "Aah! F-for running away when I was told to stay in my room."

_Twack!_

Axel cried out again as Saïx brought down the switch a second time, bringing tears to his eyes. "And?" the blue-haired Nobody asked.

"A-and… for going to another world when I wasn't supposed to. And for getting in trouble there. A-and – " The redhead halted – was there supposed to be more?

Saïx let the swats come down in quicker succession now, drawing a cry from the boy with each sharp _twack_. "You had me worried. I thought you were _dead_. Don't you. EVER. dare to do something like that again!" He accented every word with another _twack_ from the switch, until the boy's bottom was redder than it had been after the first spanking. Axel was sobbing uncontrollably now, clutching at Saïx' leg and shrieking loudly every time the switch came down. He barely even seemed to notice when Saïx stopped, put the switch down and rearranged the boy's clothing. Saïx shifted the child's weight so that he was lying on the bed with his head cradled in his arms on the older Nobody's lap and let him cry there for a while. The blue-haired Nobody was starting to feel uneasy. How did one go about comforting a child after punishment? Roxas had made it look so easy… After some hesitation, he put his hand on Axel's hair and gently stroked the spiky locks. "There, there, Axel – it's over now. It's alright – I forgive you."

The frantic crying subsided into a quiet sobbing, interrupted by the occasional hiccup. Finally Axel had calmed down completely. His breathing came soft and even and Saïx noticed with some amusement that the boy had fallen asleep on his lap.

Quietly, not wanting to wake him up, Saïx shifted out from under him. He turned over the sleeping child, picking him up and laying him down more comfortably on the bed. Axel whimpered as his sore bottom touched the mattress, but he did not wake up and he soon settled into a deeper slumber. Saïx stood watching him for a moment, then went to fetch a blanket and covered the sleeping little Nobody, gently tucking him in. Smoothing the wild, red hair, Saïx bent over and kissed the child on the forehead, whispering softly in his ear.

"Sleep tight… little Lea."

* * *

Axel woke the next morning feeling as if he'd slept forever. He felt heavy and disoriented at first – why did his room look so different? Then he realised the heaviness he felt did not come from him; someone was lying next to him on the bed and had his arm lying protectively over Axel's chest. Saïx?

"Wha – " the redhead sputtered. He reached out, giving the blue-haired Nobody a mighty push which tossed him clear off the bed. "What are you doing in my bed?"

Saïx landed on the floor with an impact that woke him up instantly. "What are you talking about? It's _my_ bed and you fell asleep on it! I didn't have anywhere else to sleep, so I lay down next to you. Besides which, you were having nightmares. I didn't want to leave you alone."

"Oh." Axel's memories of the previous day began to come back to him. He and Demyx had been changed into children, behaved like little brats and caused a lot of trouble for everyone. He remembered falling asleep on Saïx' lap too and he coloured with embarrassment. But somehow he felt different now. The bed seemed smaller than it had been the previous night, too. How…

He caught on. "Heyyy!" he said, jumping to his feet. Saïx, sitting on the floor, noticed too. "You've turned back!"

Axel stood up straight, stretching to his full height and relishing every moment of it. "Yup – looks like it," he said. "But how?"

* * *

"Ah," Luxord said. "The effect must have worn off. I thought it might."

Twelve pairs of eyes turned to him. "You knew – and you didn't tell us?" Xaldin said in a dangerously low voice.

Luxord shrugged. "I thought it was obvious – most of my time magic wears off after a while. To be honest, it was kind of a game for me to see how many of you would catch on. But in the end, only Vexen and Zexion did."

Demyx stood on his chair. "So all this time, with Axel and me not knowing if we were going to stay like that forever and Vexen feeding us that awful potion – and you _knew all the time_?!" he yelled.

"Suspected, not _knew_. It serves you right though. Remember it was you two who started all this trouble in the first place."

This shut the young musician up and he sat down again – carefully. Several smirks and glances were exchanged between the others in the room. It had escaped nobody that both he and Axel still had sore bottoms and had trouble sitting. Xemnas smiled slightly.

"Let's hope that that's the end of it and we'll not see a repeat of the trouble," he said. "Numbers Eight and Nine – let that be a lesson for you. No more ill-conceived pranks."

The troublemakers blushed and averted their glances. The meeting over, the Nobodies gathered in the room began to break up.

"That must have been the most troublesome day in the entire history of the Organisation!" Xemnas said with exasperation as he and Saïx walked towards the mission room.

"It was," Saïx said. "But at least it was lively. Be honest – don't you having those boys around?"

Xemnas stopped dead in his tracks. "Heavens, no. Demyx and Axel are bad enough as adults. No, I wouldn't miss those two little brats one bit!"

He marched on through the corridor, leaving Saïx standing still in the hallway. The blue-haired Nobody reflected on the events of the previous day and a slight smile slid across his face.

"I would," he said.

But softly, so no-one could hear.


	2. The Little Cherub

Axel bolted upright in his bed, not sure what had woken him. A sound… wait, there it was again. It sounded like a muffled crying. He finally pinpointed it as coming from the room next to him. Suddenly anxious, he jumped out of bed and ran to Roxas' room. He opened the door softly and peeked in. "Roxas?" he whispered. "Hey Rox – you awake?"

He could only just discern a small figure sitting up on the bed, wrapped in a blanket and framed by moonlight. Roxas' small face looked up at him from among the covers, wide-eyed and tearstained.

"What's the matter?" Axel asked, concerned. He sat down next to his younger friend. "Had a nightmare or something?"

The young Nobody nodded and flung himself in Axel's arms. "Whoa, there!" the redhead cried, nearly being tossed off the bed in the process. "Easy! It was just a dream – can't harm you now!"

"B-but it was so _real_!" the boy sobbed in a high voice. He clung to Axel and the older Nobody could think of nothing else to do but to put his arm around his young friend. "There there, Roxas. It's okay. I'm not gonna let anything hurt you, I promise."

It was only then that he noticed something was wrong. Why was Roxas' voice sounding so high and squeaky? And Axel already knew his friend was small, but now he seemed positively tiny. With the younger Nobody still clinging to him in his arms, he turned to the moonlight, lifted up the blanket and peered inside.

Uh-oh!

* * *

Axel called an emergency meeting first thing that morning and as soon as Xemnas heard what was going on, he cancelled all scheduled missions for that day. The leader of Organisation XIII sat in his chair with his chin propped up on his fist, looking very, very weary.

"I thought we'd seen the last of this time-fluke," he said tiredly. "Does anyone have an explanation for this?"

All eyes turned to Luxord.

"It wasn't me!" the gambler protested. "I didn't do anything. And Roxas was fine when we went on our mission yesterday…" His voice trailed off.

"They were teamed up on a mission," Xaldin said. "That's too much of a coincidence."

"My first thought was that Roxas got contaminated because he spent so much time with Axel and Demyx when _they_ were turned into children," Vexen spoke up. "But that doesn't add up. Saïx spent more time with Axel than Roxas and the same goes for Demyx and Xigbar." He looked sharply at the gambler. "That means the problem lies with _you_, Luxord."

"But I'm _fine_," Luxord stated. "If this… _fluke_, as the Superior called it, centres with me, how come _I_ didn't get changed into a child?"

"Because you're immune to your own magic, obviously," Vexen said.

"I'm bored!" a high voice suddenly ran through the meeting room. "Can't we go do something else now, Axel?"

All eyes turned to the fire wielder and the little child that sat on his lap. Roxas flushed at suddenly finding himself to be the centre of attention and turned to hide his face in Axel's coat. He looked very small in the older Nobody's arms, a child of four or five years old perhaps, and very out of place in this gathering of grown men.

"The child has spoken," Xemnas sighed. "Alright people, you know the drill. Vexen, Luxord – see if you can do anything about this. Zexion can help you. And try to find a _permanent_ solution this time, if you please. I don't relish the thoughts of having my subordinates changed into children at odd moments – not to mention having to wait until the effect wears off. Demyx and Axel, you two are on babysitting-duty. Keep Roxas out of trouble."

"Why us?!" Demyx wailed. "I don't know anything about small children!"

Xemnas fixed him with a hard stare. "Because last time, Roxas took care of _you_, and you gave him a hard time, as I recall. It is no more but fitting."

Demyx sighed, resigned. He and Axel each took one of Roxas' small hands in one of their own and led him out of the room. Xemnas let his head sink in his hands. It was going to be a _long_ day.

* * *

"Who's a cute little boy then? You are! Yes you are!"

"For crying out loud, Larxene!" Axel said, exasperated. "He's four, not a baby!"

The young woman had followed the other Nobodies out of the meeting room and was now sitting on a couch in the mission room with little Roxas on her lap. She was positively doting on him. Demyx eyed the scene with suspicion.

"I didn't know you were so fond of children," he said. "You treated _us_ very differently when _we_ were kids!"

Larxene sniffed. "Please. I _detest_ children. And you were two insufferable little brats," she said. "But Roxas is a well-behaved little cherub. _Aren't_ you, Roxy?" She pinched the child's cheek lightly, making him giggle.

"What are we supposed to go do with him, anyway?" Axel asked. "It's not exactly like there are a lot of toys lying around in the castle."

"You never had any trouble thinking up any childish games before," Xigbar remarked sarcastically from the other side of the room. He was sitting on another couch, feet propped up at the table, keeping an eye on the younger members. "What's the problem now?"

Axel sighed. "Right. _Hide-and-go-seek_ it is, then. Demyx and I go hide – Rox, you're the seeker. Larxene can help you.

The young woman huffed. "Don't you pull me into your little recess games!"

Axel grinned at her. "You _do_ want to spend more time with the little cherub, don't you?"

* * *

Some levels down, Vexen was subjecting Luxord to a full physical exam – much to the gambler's chagrin. "I don't really see why this is necessary!" he protested as he sat half-naked on the examination table, being poked and prodded at all sides by an overzealous scientist. "I'm fine!"

"You're a lot of things, but you're most definitely not 'fine'," Vexen said. "For some reason your powers are acting up beyond your control. That is a cause for concern if ever there was one."

"It might very well not be his powers at all," Zexion spoke up. The illusionist was sitting on a high stool with a book propped up on his knees. "Luxord and Roxas last mission was in Wonderland. There are all sorts of things there that have odd effects when consumed or even touched – maybe Roxas ate something there that disagreed with him? Just think of the potion we have to drink there every time just to make the heartless appear."

"Possible – but highly unlikely," Vexen countered. "Roxas knows better than that. Besides, the coincidence would be…" He fell silent when Zexion held up his hand. "I agree with you there," the younger scientist said. "However, it's worth taking under consideration. And what about this: regardless of whether something like that was the cause or not, there might be something in Wonderland that could reverse the process."

"We're off to Wonderland then," Vexen sighed.

Luxord perked up. "So does that mean I'm off the hook?"

Vexen tossed him his coat. "Off the hook for now. However, we might be on to a solution to the problem, but we still know next to nothing about the cause. So when we come back, I want to continue the tests."

The gambler groaned.

* * *

Axel and Demyx, meanwhile, were having problems of their own. For most of the morning, Roxas had been the perfect little child; sweet, cheerful and well-behaved. But as the day progressed, he became steadily more fretful and winy. The two young men had their hands full with the suddenly troublesome, stubborn child – Larxene having bailed a long time ago. The worst of it came when Roxas discovered the synthesis moogle, hovering quietly in the air in a corner of the room. He tottered over and reached up to grab it.

"No, Roxas, that isn't a toy!" Axel said, slapping the boy's hand away. The thought of the damage that accidental synthesis could cause was evoking nightmare visions in his head.

The child looked at him with startled wide eyes, then his lower lips quivered and he suddenly began to bawl. The volume of his cries became steadily louder and louder until he was screaming at the top of his lungs. Demyx and Axel looked at each other, stunned and at a loss as to what to do. "Roxas… c'mon, calm down!" Axel said urgently, trying to draw the boy in a hug. "I didn't slap you that hard, did I?"

Roxas pushed him away and kept crying hysterically. All Axel's and Demyx' attempts to silence him were in vain. Xemnas, attracted by the noise which carried down the corridors, walked in on them as they were holding the little boy upside down, shaking him. He halted in astonishment.

"What on _Earth_ are you doing?" he asked.

"He's… he's having some kind of fit," Axel gasped. He put Roxas right side up again, but the child just dropped on the ground and continued screaming. "We just can't seem to calm him down!"

Xemnas looked at the two exhausted, desperate-looking babysitters and rolled his eyes. "Honestly," he said. "Don't you two know _anything_?"

Strolling over to Roxas, he picked up the hysterical child and flipped him over, slapping him hard on the bottom. Roxas was quiet for a moment and then started crying again. But it was a softer, more controlled sobbing this time. Xemnas handed the boy over to Axel. "He's tired," he said. "Put him to bed and sing him to sleep or something. He needs a nap."

Demyx stared at the Superior. "Whoa Boss – I didn't know you were this good with children!"

Xemnas glared at him. "I have a lot of experience dealing with the lot of _you_," he said coldly. "Now get to it!"

"Whatever you say, Mr. Supernanny!" Demyx grinned. But after one look at Xemnas' face, he hightailed it out of the room – before the leader of Organisation XIII got it in his head to spank him, too.

* * *

"How do we do this?" Axel wondered aloud. The two young Nobodies had tucked Roxas into bed as ordered, but the little boy refused to sleep. "What did Xemnas say? Sing to him?"

"Read him another story," Demyx suggested.

"Another one?" Axel glared at him. A sizable pile of books was already lying next to Roxas' bed – most of them definitely _not_ suited for children. It kept Roxas' attention, sure – but it also kept him awake.

"How about _you _tell him a story, Mr. Musician?"

"There's a thought," Demyx said. He summoned his sitar. "How about a little music?"

Amazingly enough, it did the trick. Once Demyx started playing, Roxas soon drifted on his way to Slumberland. The young musician grinned at his fellow babysitter. "Am I good or what?"

"Yeah, you're real good at sending people to sleep. That's not exactly a compliment you know," Axel retorted. Demyx glared at him and the redheaded Nobody threw up his hands in defeat. "Kidding. C'mon, let's get out of here before we wake him up again."

The two Nobodies slipped out of the room, closing the door softly. Axel leaned back against it. "Why did nobody ever tell me that babysitting could be so _exhausting_?"

* * *

While the tandem of babysitters was finally able to sit back and relax, another group of Nobodies were faced with a problem of different proportions. "Where do we start?" Luxord asked, looking at the colourful surroundings. "This is like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

"Look for anything edible – especially anything suspicious," Zexion answered. "Pills, potions, that sort of thing. See what kind of effect it has on the surroundings, if there are a lot of very young animals or plants around, that'll be a clue."

"Sounds… random," Vexen commented.

Zexion looked at him. "And I suppose you have a better idea?"

"If all else fails, we can ask that insufferable Cheshire Cat."

Everybody groaned. Zexion frowned. "It _would_ be the kind of stuff he'd know. But it's next to impossible to get a straight answer from him. Let's save it as a last resort – unless he shows up on his own accord."

"Did somebody call?" came a sing-song voice from a nearby tree. Looking up, the Nobodies could see a pair of eyes appear in the shadows among the leaves, followed by a wide grin. Zexion sighed. "Right on cue," he said resignedly.  
"Now then," said the Cheshire Cat. "How can I help you?"

* * *

The next half hour or so was the most testing and infuriating Q&A session any of the three Nobodies had ever been through. They had not even gotten half the answers they needed before the Cheshire Cat lost interest and slowly faded into nothingness (leaving only a grin behind) and most of it was too cryptic to be of any use. But in the end they had the following information:

1. something did exist that could produce the effect they wanted and

2. it was not far away.

"What's near here?" Zexion wondered, producing a map of the world. The Nobodies gathered together in a huddle to study it. "The Queen of Heart's court, the Rose Garden and the Labyrinth," Vexen said. "Which shall we tackle first?"

"Of course!" Zexion suddenly cried with uncommon enthusiasm. "The Queen of Hearts!" When his companions stared at him, not comprehending, the young scientist hastened to explain, leafing quickly through his lexicon. "According to the history of this place, the Queen has ruled Wonderland for hundreds of years," he explained. "She doesn't look it. How do you think she stays so young?"

"So she has something to rejuvenate herself with," Vexen said coolly. "I don't see how that is going to be of any use to us. We want to make Roxas older, not younger!"

"Yes – but everything here that causes an effect has a counterpart," the younger Nobody said. "An antidote, if you will. And the two are usually found in the same vicinity – or even attached to the same plant. Find one and you're likely to find the other. It's the law of this place."

"Fine," Luxord said, straightening himself and stretching his stiff limps. "Let's find the one, then. The sooner we can leave this place, the better."

* * *

Xemnas already had taken two aspirins that day and felt in need of a third. With missions suspended every other day, construction of Kingdom Hearts was falling behind. And every moment he expected some new crisis to drop on his head. Feeling unable to concentrate, he tossed the paperwork he was perusing back on his desk and decided to go for a stroll through the castle. His feet led him unconsciously to the mission room, which was half-empty. Xaldin and Lexaeus were playing a game of chess; Demyx was playing his sitar and Axel was idly juggling five bolts of fire.

Xemnas looked sharply at the two youngest Organisation members. "Where's Roxas?" he asked. "_Tell_ me Larxene or Xigbar is watching him."

"Relax, Superior," Axel said, performing a particularly intricate juggling manoeuvre. "We put him to bed, just like you told us to. He's asleep."

Xemnas sighed, fervently wishing that he hadn't left his aspirin in his desk drawer. "Axel, that was over four hours ago. Don't you think he might, ohhh I don't know… _wake up_?!"

Right on cue, Saïx entered the room. "Has anyone seen Roxas?" he asked. His door was open and he wasn't in his chambers."

Axel choked and dropped his flaming juggling balls, which fell to the floor and vanished in a puff of smoke. Demyx jumped up, nearly tripping over his sitar in the process. "_Find him_," Xemnas barked. "Xaldin, Lexaeus – you too. Where are Xigbar and Larxene – and Marluxia? I want that boy found, before he gets into trouble!"

"Zexion, Vexen and Luxord have just returned from their mission in Wonderland," Saïx told him. "It seems they were successful."

"Well, that's something at least," Xemnas sighed. He rubbed his temple. "Honestly, am I running a super-secret organisation – or a nursery? These days I can barely tell the difference."

* * *

Axel and Demyx were assigned the lower floors for their search. They were both feeling guilty about Roxas' disappearance, although they weren't sure what they should have done to prevent it – post a guard at the door?

"I just hope he's okay," Axel sighed. "I don't know what I'd do if he…"

He was interrupted by a high-pitched scream which ran clear through the corridors of the Castle That Never Was, coming from Vexen's laboratory. The two Nobodies looked at each other and broke into a run. Axel reached the lab first, with only just enough breath to shout "_what the hell are you doing_?!"

Vexen was having a hold on the hood of Roxas' cloak and seemed to be trying to pour a foul-smelling potion in the struggling, kicking toddler's mouth. He looked up at the redheaded Nobody with exasperation. "What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" he stated. "I am _trying_ to save his _life_!"

This was most definitely _not_ what it looked like, but Axel wasn't about to press the issue. Alarmed by the seriousness of Vexen's expression, he went into the lab and took hold of Roxas. "What's going on?"

"I caught him drinking one of my poisons, that's what's going on," Vexen hissed, trying once again to pry Roxas' teeth apart and force him to drink. "I'm trying to give him the antidote, but… he's… _not_… cooperating!"

With Axel's and Demyx' help he was finally able to hold the resisting child still enough to pinch his nose shut. Roxas held his breath until he was starting to get blue in the face, but he finally had to gasp for breath. That was the moment Vexen was waiting for. Tilting the boy's head back slightly, he poured the smelly liquid into his mouth. Roxas gagged and spit, but he could not help swallowing half of the potion. The three older Nobodies sighed with relief.

* * *

All members of the Organisation gathered in the mission room as Vexen reported on their mission in Wonderland. It had not entirely gone without mishap. After inquiry (and some threatening of a few card soldiers, the three Nobodies had found out that the secret of the Queen's rejuvenation process lay in a very special berry bush, which only produced two berries every fifty years; one black, one white. They were in luck; that cycle's batch was just ready for picking. There was a complication, however; they were quick to reason that one berry was meant for rejuvenation, the other for aging – but they did not know which was which. The solution they came up with was easy; take them both. However, this did not go over well with the Queen and she set her army of cards on them. The Nobodies barely escaped with their lives; but they also escaped with the berries.

"I need to do some testing to find out which of the berries we need – and to determine the exact dose, of course," Vexen concluded, "but I'd say most of the work is done. I'll have results in – oh, one hour, I think."

"Good," Xemnas said. "Well done. Dismissed." As the senior members began to filter out of the room, their leader turned his attention to Roxas. "Now, young man – I'd like to hear from you exactly what happened down in Number Four's lab?"

Roxas fidgeted, suddenly ill at ease. "I woke up and nobody was there," he began hesitantly, looking up at Xemnas shyly. "I wanted to find Axel. But then there was that weird smell and that po-shun looked all pink and bright and I thought it might taste real sweet, too…"

"And did it?" Xemnas asked.

The boy wrinkled his nose. "No. Tasted awful," he said. "And then Vexen gave me something worse." His lower lip began to quiver.

"That pink potion was poison, Roxas, do you understand?" Xemnas said sternly. "Child or no, you know very well that you're not allowed to go in Vexen's lab and you should know better than to go about drinking strange potions. You're in trouble, young man. Do you remember what happened to Axel and Demyx when they got in trouble?"

The boy's eyes widened, showing that he did remember.

"They got punished," Xemnas continued. "I believe that you deserve some punishment too, Roxas." He held out a hand to the small child. "Come here."

Roxas' hand flew to his bottom, as if that could protect it. "No," he said, pressing himself against Axel's legs. But Xemnas waited patiently, his hand still outstretched. Roxas heaved a deep sigh, squirming on his feet and finally shuffled over to the older Nobody. Xemnas picked him up, placing him across his knees and delivered a few well-aimed swats to the boy's small bottom. Roxas burst into tears, more from shock than from pain, for his superior did not hit very hard. Xemnas put the boy back on his feet and pulled him between his knees. Putting his finger under the child's chin, he lifted the small face so he could look him in the eye. "Did you learn your lesson?" he asked. Roxas nodded.

"Good," the leader of Organisation XIII said, releasing the boy and patting him on the head. He stood up and looked at the Organisation's younger members, who were still in the mission room and had watched the exchange uneasily. "Axel, take him down to Marluxia's garden and let him play there – he can't do much damage there. If you don't give him any bad examples, that is." Larxene giggled, but was silenced at a glare. "Number Eleven, I presume that is alright?"

Marluxia looked none too pleased at the prospect, but nodded his consent – not daring to go against the Superior's orders. Axel didn't relish the idea of being in Marluxia's vicinity either – he was pretty sure the gardener still harboured some secret grudge about the hot spring incident, but he too kept silent.

* * *

As it turned out, the arrangement worked out better than expected. Roxas exhibited an unexpected fondness for gardening and was happily digging holes in the flowerbeds under Marluxia's supervision. The pink-haired Nobody seemed pleased to have someone share his interest – even though the person in question was but a small child – and was actually in a good mood. Axel was left with nothing to do but sit back against a tree and doze in the warmth of the afternoon sun; something he did not mind at all.

Vexen's research was finished within the hour as he predicted. He'd tested both berries on an unsuspecting Heartless and found the black one to be the one he needed. Roxas was none too pleased to be offered a small drop of the berry's juice incorporated in a potion. "It's not going to taste bad," the scientist pressed. "I've made it a lot sweeter. Just try it."

"Developing a soft spot, Vexen?" Axel said mockingly. "That's the last thing I'd expect from you."

"Hardly," Vexen sniffed disdainfully. "I don't want a repeat performance of the trouble we had to go through _last _time I tried to give him a potion. And I couldn't taste it myself, obviously, so I made sure to add so much sugar that the original taste is completely obscured. It should be sickeningly sweet now, but he'll like that."

He did. After one cautious sip, Roxas' face lightened up and he drank the rest of the potion in one gulp, licked his lips and actually seemed disappointed that there wasn't more. The rest of Organisation XIII looked on with interest, but the effect wasn't very spectacular. Roxas' form merely blurred for a moment and regained its original size and shape. The young Nobody looked around and blushed in embarrassment at finding himself the centre of the attention.

"Well, at least _that_ worked," Vexen sighed in relief.

"Yes, but we're still no closer to finding a permanent solution," Saïx said. "For all we know, this could happen again. To anyone."

There was a hushed silence as the other members of the Organisation contemplated this worrisome possibility.

* * *

Later that evening, Roxas was just about to get ready for bed when Axel stuck his head around the door. "Hey Rox – you asleep yet?" He grinned. "Obviously not. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Roxas said. "But no jokes about diapers or toys or anything like that, please. I've had enough of that from the others already."

"Don't worry." The redhead sidled into the room. "But be honest – don't tell me you didn't enjoy being a little kid? You don't have any memories of having an actual childhood, do you?"

Roxas smiled slightly. "Well yeah – I gotta admit, it was kinda fun. Apart from getting paddled by Xemnas and being forced to drink that awful potion by Vexen," he added ruefully. "But life seemed a lot more carefree from a child's perspective. I didn't worry nearly as much about anything." He smiled broadly now. "Actually, I wouldn't have minded if I'd gotten stuck like that a bit longer."

"Good," Axel said, pulling out a book from behind his back. "Because I finally found a suitable story and I was wondering if you would like me to read…"

He was unable to finish the sentence because he had to duck to avoid the pillow that Roxas tossed at him. The boy rolled over the bed, grabbing the pillow again for a second assault. Axel yelped and ran for his life, laughing all the while.


	3. A Day At The Beach

"This," said Xaldin, "is getting ridiculous."

All members of Organisation XIII were once again gathered in the round room for an emergency meeting. This time, Xemnas came prepared and had a bottle of aspirin handy. The other Nobodies looked desperately in need of some as well. All but three of the younger members, who mostly looked bored. And small. And much, much younger than they should be.

"Don't look at _me_," Demyx said. "We didn't do anything this time! It's not our fault!"

"Besides, we know that the effect will wear off after a while anyway," Axel shrugged. "It's nothing to get worked up about."

"Can we go play now?" Roxas asked.

Xemnas could already feel the very familiar feeling of a headache pounding inside his head. "I knew I should have stayed in bed this morning," he moaned softly to himself. Aloud, he said: "and I suppose none of you has any explanation of why this happened _again_?"

There was a silence as the members of the Organisation exchanged nervous glances. The three boys twitched and squirmed nervously in their chairs, but nobody spoke. Finally, Vexen stood up, making ready to leave the room. "Right, Luxord, Zexion – let's go to the lab," he sighed. "We'd better keep cracking at this until we finally know what the problem is _and_ how we can stop it forever."

He left, followed by the other two Nobodies. The rest looked up at their superior, awaiting orders.

Xemnas pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his temples. It did nothing to alleviate the dull throbbing behind his eyes. "Right. Well, I'll be damned if I have _three_ little brats running around the castle, creating havoc. Saïx, Xigbar – take them to the beach or something. Anywhere but here. Anyone else who wants to go too – be my guest."

His subordinates exchanged mixed glances. "We have to go baby-sit _again_?" Larxene complained. "Still, I wouldn't mind going to the beach…"

"Well, don't expect anything from _me_," Marluxia said. "I've already had enough trouble with those brats the first time they got downsized. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the garden. _To make sure it doesn't get flooded again_!" he muttered under his breath as he left the room in a huff.

The boys, on the other hand, were elated. "The beach! We're going to the beach!" Axel yelled, picking up Roxas and tossing him up in his arms. The small child squealed in delight. Demyx danced around them, chanting: "the beach, the beach, the beach!" all the while. Saïx watched them with mild amusement. "Well, at least _some_ of us are happy," he remarked to Xemnas. "Um, Superior – are you sure you're supposed to take those without water?"

* * *

In the end, it was decided that Lexaeus and Larxene would accompany Saïx, Xigbar and the children to Destiny Islands. Xaldin declined, saying he had stuff to do. And there was no question about the fact that Xemnas would stay home: Saïx suggested that he might go, but his leader looked so horrified at the thought that the blue-haired Nobody didn't dare to press the issue. Young Demyx, however, had no such qualms.

"Are you sure you don't wanna go, Superior?" he asked. "Because you sure look like you could use some R&R – you're looking a bit stre… _Ow_!" He glared balefully at Xigbar, who had smacked him smartly on the head. "What did you do that for?"

The group of beach-bound Nobodies changed into their swimming gear in the castle. It was a bit of a mystery why Saïx had swimming trunks for everybody lying around, but nobody dared to ask. Although Xigbar did raise an eyebrow when he produced a very cute bikini for Larxene – but he didn't say a word.

"Demyx – does this make me look fat?" the female Nobody inquired, once they arrived at the beach and she had a chance to show it off. Unfortunately, she picked the wrong person to ask.

"Yeah, you look terrible in it," the boy said very seriously, ogling her at all sides in a deliberate exaggerated manner. "Especially your bum – it looks _huge_! What on Earth did you eat? _Ow_!" He rubbed his head when he received the second slap of the day. "What did I say?"

Larxene sighed. "Boys are so _stupid_!" she complained loudly. "Sometimes I wish that I wasn't the only woman in the Organisation!"

"What about Xion?" Axel said. Larxene stared. "Xion is a _girl_?"

* * *

Lexaeus went swimming. Larxene finally got some peace when the boys stopped their teasing and ran off to build a sand castle under the supervision of Saïx and Xigbar. Roxas went looking for seashells, walking up and down the beach with his small bucket and spade. "What does he want them for, anyway?" Demyx wondered, watching him go.

"I think he wants them for Xion," Axel shrugged.

"What good is that going to do?" Demyx said. "She's comatose – it's not like she can even see them."

"She'll wake up," the redhead replied, piling more sand on top of their sand castle, which by now was starting to bear a close resemblance to the Castle That Never Was.

"You like her, don't you?" Demyx said, looking sharply at his friend. "Bet you are in love with her!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" Demyx started to chant. "Axel and Xion, sitting in a tree. Kay ai ess…"

Axel jumped up and kicked over the sand castle. "That's it!" he yelled. "I'm not playing with you anymore!" He ran off.

"Aw, c'mon!" Demyx cried. He got to his feet and went after his friend. "I was just kidding!" He halted and looked around. Where'd the other Nobody go?

"Demyx," Saïx called, having completely missed the argument. "Don't wander off too far and tell Axel not to, either!" He turned back to where Roxas was digging at something in the sand with Xigbar. Larxene was lying some distance away, sunbathing. "Sure!" Demyx called back and ran off.

It took the young musician some time to catch up with Axel. The flame-haired boy had found some sort of tree-house next to the shore and was sitting in it, sulking. Demyx stuck his head inside. "Axel?" he said. "C'mon, don't be silly. I was only fooling around, you know."

Axel was sitting in the back of the hut – which was pretty elaborate for a tree-house, almost as big as a regular house. He had his knees drawn up, his chin resting on his arms. "It's not funny to joke about Xion," he said. "She might never wake up, you know."

"I'm sorry," Demyx said, feeling rather awkward about his friend's sudden seriousness. "I hope she wakes up soon. You and Roxas like her a lot, don't you?"

"Yeah." Axel stared outside, where Lexaeus could be seen swimming in the distance. "Well, Roxas mostly. I don't really know her all that well. But he's pretty worried about her."

"Hey, how about…" Demyx was starting to feel uncomfortable and looking frantically for a change of subject. "How about we get some sea-salt ice cream?"

"Yeah!" Axel sprang to his feet, his dark mood gone. "Let's get enough for everyone." He hesitated. "Oh, but we can only get them in Twilight Town. I'm not sure if we're allowed to use the dark corridors. I got into an awful lot of trouble last time I went to another world." He winced at the memory.

"It'll be okay if we just pop in to get the ice cream and get back right away, won't it?" Demyx said. "We won't be long."

Axel gave in and the two boys reached Twilight Town without mishap. They did get some uncomfortable questions about why they weren't in school – but they also got the ice cream and returned carrying a plastic bag each.

"It's too bad Vexen isn't here," Axel remarked. "He could have kept them frozen. Mine are already starting to melt."

"_You_'re making them melt!" Demyx said. "You're too hot! Here, let _me_ carry them."

"Hang on," Axel said. He'd spied Larxene, who was lying on a large towel on the sand, fast asleep. He took one of the sea-salt ice creams out of the wrapper and softly tipped over to her side. "Hey Larxene!" he yelled suddenly, tossing the icy popsicle on her bare stomach. "Want some ice cream?"

Larxene's scream could be heard clear across the beach and the little redhead suddenly found himself running for his life, dodging lightning bolts left and right. Demyx jumped behind a palm tree, taking cover. "It wasn't me, Larxene!" he yelled. "I didn't do anything! It was all Axel's doing!" He didn't relish the idea of getting hit by one of those lightning bolts, whether by accident or design. Lightning and water didn't exactly go well together.

The young woman hissed in fury, the cackling electricity around her making her hair stand out in all directions. She looked very angry. Demyx yelped and ducked back behind his tree.

"My goodness!" Saïx said as he, Xigbar and Roxas came running. Even Lexaeus had heard the noise and came out of the water, dripping wet. "What have you boys been up to now?"

"Why is it always us?" Axel complained. With Saïx and Xigbar present, he figured it was safe to come back. He walked over to Larxene's ice-cream, now a melted puddle in the sand, and poked at it with the stick. "Aww, it's melted. Why do _we_ always get blamed whenever there's trouble?"

"Because you're _usually_ are the cause of it," Saïx said. He looked sharply at the boy. "Am I wrong?"

"Aw, we just got some ice cream," Demyx said, holding up the bags as evidence. "But Larxene dropped hers," Axel added innocently.

"You dropped it on me!" Larxene screamed. Axel suddenly became very interested in a washed-up jellyfish lying on the beach.

"You went to Twilight Town?" Saïx asked, looking sternly at the boys. Axel threw his arms around him pleadingly. "Aw, don't be angry, Saïx! We just thought it would be nice to eat some ice cream on the beach! We brought enough for everyone, see?"

"Icecweam!" Roxas cried, clapping his hands delightfully and bringing a smile to Saïx' face.

"Very well, I'll let it slide – this time," he added warningly. "But no more travelling between worlds without permission. Understood?" He looked the boys in the eye. "And you have to apologize to Larxene."

"Yes, Saïx," they both murmured. Axel shyly walked over to the female Nobody, who finally got her hair to behave _somewhat_ normally. "Larxene?" the boy said hesitantly. "I'm sorry about startling you. Here, you can have _my_ ice cream." He held out the peace offering with regret, looking as if he was about to sacrifice his best friend. Larxene looked at the ice cream, which had already begun to drip, and then at Axel's anxious, tortured face. "Thanks, but no thanks," she said. "I don't really like ice cream all that much, to be honest. You have it."

Axel's face cleared up. "Thanks, Larxene!" he said. "You're really alright!"

"Oh get on with you!" Larxene sniffed, but she actually looked a little pleased.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the castle, the resident basement-dwellers were making no progress. "I've tried every test I could think of," Vexen complained, "but everything checks out. Luxord, you're perfectly normal!"

"For a Nobody, anyway," Zexion added. The younger scientist sat at a table, peering at Luxord's blood samples through a microscope. "What's really getting to me is that I can't figure out why Roxas, Axel and Demyx reverted back into children. Lately all Luxord's missions have been solo. He hasn't been in any prolonged contact with any of them. I don't get it."

"Me either," Luxord said. "Except yesterday, Axel, Demyx and I have been trying to teach Roxas to play poker…" His voice trailed off as Vexen and Zexion slowly raised their heads and stared at them. "But we broke it off after just a few minutes!" he protested. "Saïx came in and put a stop to it – he said we shouldn't corrupt the boy. He doesn't have much of a poker face anyway…"

The two Nobodies came closer and Luxord started to sweat, beginning to feel threatened. Zexion held out his hand. "Show me your cards," he said.

Reluctantly, Luxord handed them over. The young scientist spread them out before him on the table and examined each one closely. "Well, at first glance I can see nothing wrong with them," he said. "But then, I'm no expert. Perhaps we should…"

"Wait – what's that?" Luxord said, suddenly reaching out and snatching up a few of the cards. "These aren't part of the deck!"

Vexen sat back with a sigh. "I believe," he said, "we may have found the source of the problem?"

* * *

Back on the beach, Demyx and Axel had set out exploring. They ended up sitting on the edge of an elevated part of the beach, looking out over the sea.

"Hey Axel," Demyx said. "Wanna go swimming?"

"Uhhh," Axel answered, suddenly insecure. "It's not good to go swimming after eating something, right?"

"That was just one ice cream and it was over an hour ago!" the young musician countered.

"B-but isn't it getting a bit late?" Axel stammered. "M-maybe Saïx is looking for us."

Demyx began to catch on that his friend was hiding something. "Are you afraid of the water?" he asked, peering closely at Axel's face. The redhead turned away, blushing furiously. "N-no, I'm not! Why are you so persistent about it? I just don't like swimming. What's wrong with that? Larxene doesn't go swimming either!"

Demyx giggled. "Because it doesn't agree with her powers." He suddenly stared at Axel. "That's it, isn't it! Bet you're afraid you're gonna evaporate or something. That's silly!" he yelled. He grabbed Axel by the arm and dragged him up. "C'mon, a little water isn't going to hurt you! You liked the hot spring, didn't you?"

"That was different. That was…" Axel pulled himself loose and gave the other Nobody a shove. "Look, I don't want to go swimming and that's final!" He crossed his arms and turned away, staring out over the sea.

"Fine, have it your way," Demyx said. He made as if he were about to leave, but unexpectedly he twirled around and gave Axel a hard push.

"Whoa! No!" Axel flailed his arms and teetered at the edge of the water for a moment, before falling in the sea with a loud splash.

Demyx bent over double with laughter. "Hey Axel, I thought you didn't _want_ to go swimming!" There was no answer. "Axel?"

Demyx suddenly began to feel alarmed. Running over to the waterside, he peered over the edge. "Axel?" he called. "C'mon, this isn't funny anymore!"

At first he could not see any sign of his friend. But then Axel resurfaced, coughing desperately, gasping and flailing wildly in the water before going under again. Demyx realised something was wrong.

"Axel, wait – I'm coming!" he yelled, leaping into the water. It took him a moment to locate the redhead again; fortunately the sea was very clear and when he dove underwater it did not take him long before he found Axel floating limp under the surface. Grabbing his friend around the waist, he quickly paddled up again. He was a strong swimmer, but even as they broke through the surface he realised they were in trouble; Axel was heavy and his weight threatened to pull them both back underwater. Demyx felt a deep fear clench at his stomach. "Help!" he screamed loudly.

* * *

Demyx knew his voice would never carry to Saïx or Xigbar on the beach. But fortunately Lexaeus, who had taken to the water again, heard him. The strongly-build Nobody came swimming at Demyx' call and quickly took charge of the situation. He grabbed Axel under one arm and, making his way to the shallows, carried him up to the beach. Demyx followed behind, a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"What's going on?" Saïx cried, as he, Larxene and Xigbar came running. He saw the limp body in Lexaeus' arms. "Oh no!"

"He's not breathing!" Xigbar said, bending over the boy and searching for a pulse.

"Umm… maybe CPR?" Larxene suggested, looking almost as pale as Axel.

But Lexaeus simply turned the boy over and slapped him hard on the back. Axel threw up what seemed to be a gallon of water and kept on coughing. "… Or that," Larxene finished lamely.

Lexaeus handed the boy to Saïx, who wrapped him tightly in his arms, then slapped Demyx on the back of his head. "Little idiot!" he said. "Why didn't you use your powers to save him?"

"I-I didn't think of it!" the young Nobody stammered, tears springing in his eyes.

"Whatever possessed you to go in the water anyway?" Saïx asked Axel, who started to look a little better, although he was still very pale. "You know you can't swim!"

"I didn't!" the boy protested weakly, then pointed at Demyx. "You pushed me!" he yelled indignantly.

All eyes turned to Demyx and he suddenly felt like he was three inch tall. Saïx eyes narrowed. "Is that true?" he asked in a dangerously low tone of voice.

"I-I didn't know he couldn't swim!" Demyx cried desperately. His lower lip quivered and he looked ready to cry. He took a step back. "I-it was just a joke…"

He knew it was the wrong thing to say; Saïx looked ready to go berserk. The boy couldn't stand to look at all those accusative faces and he wished he was far away. He turned to run, but a heavy hand fell on his shoulder.

"Saïx," said Xigbar. "Why don't you take care of Axel, while Demyx and I… go somewhere to have a little chat?"

"Very well, " Saïx said, still angry. He turned his attention to the redhead, rubbing him warm and dry with a towel, coldly ignoring the other boy.

* * *

Xigbar took Demyx a little further inland, out of hearing distance. The boy followed meekly, uncharacteristically quiet and subdued and looking very frightened. The grizzled Nobody sat down on an overturned crate and drew Demyx between his legs, putting a finger under his chin and tilting his face so the boy had no choice but to look up at him.

"This," the elder Nobody said sternly, "might very well be the worst thing you have ever done. What were you thinking? You could have killed him!"

Demyx kept silent, but his lower lip quivered and a tear rolled down his cheek. He was trembling from head to toe. Xigbar kept staring at him with a severe look in his eye. "Well?" he asked.

"I-I'm sorry," Demyx said and he suddenly started crying. "I-I'm so sorry! I wanted to go swimming and Axel didn't and I never thought it was because he _couldn't_ swim and I pushed him in the water and now he's gonna die and it's all my fau-ault!" He couldn't bring out another word and instead kept crying uncontrollably.

He's had a nasty shock, Xigbar realised, looking at the thin pale face looking up at him, wide blue eyes flooded with tears. He sighed. He didn't really want to punish the boy when he obviously already felt genuinely remorseful about what he'd done, but he knew he couldn't let this one slide. And being punished might help the child alleviate the burden of guilt he was so obviously feeling.

The elder Nobody grasped Demyx by the shoulder and shook him lightly. "Look, Axel isn't going to die. He's a Nobody and that means he's tough, right? A little water isn't going to kill him. He'll be okay."

Demyx stopped crying and looked up at Xigbar hopefully. "Really?" he asked.

"Of course." Xigbar smiled at him, then assumed a more serious expression. "Now what are we going to do about you?"

The boy bit his lip and sighed, knowing very well what would happen next. He put himself over Xigbar's lap on his own accord and the older Nobody smiled to himself as he laid a strong hand on Demyx' back. He was right, the boy needed this; in order to feel forgiven and to be able to forgive himself. Still, he was going to teach him a lesson, but he wasn't going to draw this out. Raising his hand, he brought it down with a firm smack on the small bottom, drawing a cry from the boy. Xigbar gave him about thirty swats, enough to give Demyx to think about besides Axel, but not enough that he would be unable to sit for the rest of the day. The punishment was over far earlier than Demyx expected, and he looked up at Xigbar uncertainly when the man set him back on his feet.

The older Nobody patted him on the head. "Let's get back to the others now," he said, not unkindly. "You can apologize to Axel and then you can be friends again."

"What if he doesn't want to forgive me?" Demyx asked in a shaky voice. "I-I did a very bad thing to him."

"Oh c'mon," Xigbar said. "Axel isn't that heartless." He stopped, only just realising what he said. "Well, actually… Aw heck. Look, if he doesn't want to forgive you, I'll have a few words with _him_ as well. Okay?"

The boy nodded, feeling a little more at ease. He grabbed Xigbar's and together they walked back to the beach.

* * *

Axel was looking better, a bit of colour having returned to his cheeks when Demyx and Xigbar rejoined the group. Another Nobody was there, not in swimming trunks, but wearing his black Organisation cloak. His hood was drawn back, revealing his identity.

"Zexion?" Xigbar said. "Hey, what's up?"

The young scientist rose to his feet. "There's been a breakthrough. We are quite certain we've found what caused all of it. This round of rejuvenation will have to play itself out, but we'll have eliminate the source and I doubt we'll have any more incidents ever again. Xemnas sent me to inform you. I'll explain more when we return to the castle."

He turned to Saïx and said, indicating Axel, "well, I'm no doctor and you'd best let Vexen take a look at him, just to be sure – but he looks fine to me."

"Of course I'm fine!" Axel stated. "You gave me a potion, didn't you?"

He jumped to his feet, wavered for a moment and fell back in the sand. "Hehe, oops. I meant to do that."

At that moment he spied Demyx, who was half-hidden behind Xigbar, and his eyes narrowed.

At a push in the back from the older Nobody, Demyx stepped forward hesitantly and dropped to his knees at his friend's side. "Axel, I-I'm s-so sorry. Really I am! If I can do anything t-to make it up to you…" He choked, almost starting to cry again.

"Dummy!" Axel reached out and punched him in the arm, hard. Demyx bit back a cry and lowered his eyes. But Axel continued: "Stop being so serious! You're embarrassing me!" He pushed the other boy over in the sand. "I'm not mad at you anymore. You're too stupid to be mad at."

Demyx smiled and the boys hugged, friends again, then started a good-natured tussle. Xigbar sighed, watching then. "Well, at least that's taken care of," he said. "Shall we RTC?"

At that moment, Axel sat up straight on top of Demyx, whom he was tickling. "Where's Roxas?"

* * *

Everyone was in a state. Nobody had seen the little boy since Axel's near-drowning and the commotion surrounding the accident had driven any thought of the toddler completely out of everyone's mind.

"He was looking for shells, wasn't he?" Saïx said. "He must have wandered off somewhere."

"But where? He could be anywhere!" Axel cried.

"What if he drowned, too?" Demyx wailed. "Oh, this is all _my_ fault!"

"No, it's mine," Axel said. "I should have looked after him."

"Who cares whose fault it is?" Larxene interrupted. Both boys turned on her. "Why didn't _you_ look after him?"

"Quiet!" Saïx thundered. There was a silence as everyone shut up and looked at him. "We won't get anywhere just squabbling about it. Let's split up into search parties. Zexion, Axel and Demyx, you come with me and we'll take this side of the island. Lexaeus, Xigbar, Larxene – take the other half. Start with the beach and work your way inlands."

The island wasn't big, but it turned out that there were a lot of places where a small child could be hiding. It didn't help that it was a children's paradise: there were a lot of caves, tunnel and man-made huts and buildings put together from wood. "It's hopeless!" Demyx complained as, after half an hour, they had only been able to search a small part of the beach. "He could be anywhere!"

"Maybe we should try calling him again," Axel suggested. He was starting to look pale again and his voice was hoarse; despite his earlier bravado, it was clear that he had not yet completely recovered from his ordeal and this new crisis was starting to take its toll. "Maybe he'll hear now."

"It's no use," Demyx complained. "He didn't reply then and he won't now." Despite his words, he cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled, "Roxa-a-a-as!"

There was still no answer. Saïx looked at the boys, who were both looking rather pale and worn-out. "You two take a rest," he said. "Zexion and I will check that tree-house over there."

Axel and Demyx settled down at the edge of a pool, dangling their legs in the water. Shared worries and fears had made them fast friends again. Axel was quiet and withdrawn, staring unseeing at the waterfalls that descended from the cliffs in an endless rhythm of sound. Demyx was making sculptures in the water without even realising he was doing it. "Think, think!" he said, as much to himself as to his friend. "Where would a little kid go?"

"Forget that," Axel said. "Where would _Roxas_ go?" He looked at Demyx, eyes wide. "You don't think he's gone to Twilight Town on his own, do you?"

"Whatever for?" Demyx' water sculpture, which bore a striking resemblance to Roxas, collapsed with a splash. "To get more ice cream?"

"We always went for sea-salt ice cream after a mission…" Axel's voice trailed off. His eyes grew distant, then suddenly focused on something behind Demyx. "Wait, what's that?"

"What's what?" The young musician nearly fell in the water twisting backwards in an attempt to see what had caught his friend's eye. "Roxas?"

"No, I think – there's something there. A hole or a cave or something. You can barely see it." Axel jumped to his feet. Let's check it out!"

The two boys wasted no time in exploring their discovery. As it turned out, it was not so much a cave as a tunnel, leading deep into the earth. Demyx looked at the darkness with disdain. "I wish we'd brought a torch or something."

"Oh come on!" Axel said. "It's not _that_ dark! You can see plenty good!" But he made sure he stayed close to his friend anyway.

"Nevermind," Demyx said. "I think we've reached the end of it anyway." They found themselves in what seemed to be a small cave, stone walls covered in childish scribbles. "What is this – a pirates' nest or something?"

"Roxas!" Axel rushed over to where the child was lying in a corner, small hand outstretched towards one of the drawings. He shook the diminutive Nobody by the shoulders, then sighed in relief. "He's just asleep – _fast_ asleep."

"Xion…" Roxas mumbled, before turning over in Axel's arms and clutching the older boy's flame-red hair. He was still deeply asleep.

Axel smiled and looked up, only now noticing their strange surroundings. "What is this place?"

"Looks like some secret hide-out," Demyx said, examining the chalk drawings on the walls. "I suppose kids hang out here." He suddenly moved closer to the scribbles on the walls, one particular drawing having caught his attention. "Hey!"

"What?"

The blonde boy pointed at what seemed to be the drawing of a boy with spiky hair. "Doesn't that drawing look like Roxas?"

Axel hefted the still-sleeping child in his arms and came closer. He peered at the drawing, squinted, then shook his head. "Nah. Can't see it. You're just imagining things, Dem."

* * *

Saïx was relieved to see the boys appear hale and healthy from the hidden cave. For a moment, he was afraid that they would have _three_ missing persons on their hands instead of one. But here they all were, safe and sound.

"And on that note, it's about time we RTC," he said. "I've had enough excitement for one day. I shudder to think I have to report to Xemnas about all of this. His nerves are frayed enough already."

"Aww." Axel and Demyx both looked disappointed at the thought of leaving.

"_Tell_ me you're not tired," Saïx said, looking at each of them in turn. "Your faces say otherwise." He relieved Axel of his small burden. The transfer from the fire wielder's perpetually feverish arms to Saïx' cooler ones woke Roxas up. "…'m _not_ tired," the child mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes. He blinked up at them and didn't seem to understand why they all laughed.

* * *

"They are cursed cards," Luxord explained, spreading out the flat, cardboard offenders on a tray before him. "I created them as an experiment, they are supposed to pick up an enemy's thoughts or desires and twist them in some unexpected way – like a wish gone wrong. But they were a bit _too_ unpredictable, which made them immensely dangerous, so I never used them. I can't even _think_ of how they got mixed in with the rest of my cards."

"Oh!" Demyx said loudly, then clamped his mouth shut when everybody looked at him. He ducked behind Axel and Roxas – the three boys sharing Axel's chair for once. When Xemnas frowned at him, Demyx cleared his throat and started again. "I – that is, we – when we snuck into Luxord's room…"

"Which started this whole mess," Luxord interjected.

"Right," the boy said, blushing furiously. "Well, we were after his cards and I, uh, kinda lumped all of them together…"

"That explains _that_," Zexion interrupted, figuring they'd be there until tomorrow if he didn't. "But what kind of thought or desire of Demyx caused Axel and him to change into children?"

Demyx coloured more deeply. "I dunno," he said hesitantly. "Unless…"

"Unless?" Xemnas prompted, when no more explanations were forthcoming.

"Well, uh… it kinda reminded me of another prank I pulled as a kid. Um, back when I was a Somebody, I mean. See, I'd glue this pack of cards together…"

"Right, I see," the Superior said, cutting him short. "The cards must have picked up that thought from your mind and interpreted it as a wish or desire and changed you both into your younger forms. You're very lucky the effect isn't permanent." (As am I, he added silently to himself.)

He turned to the scientists. "The question now is; what do we do about the cards?"

"They're kinda like _wish_ cards, aren't they?" Larxene said breathlessly. "Imagine, if we learned how to use them properly, we could wish for anything!"

Saïx shot her a dark look. "Don't even _dare_ to think about it!"

"It wouldn't work anyway," Luxord said, gathering the cards together and shuffling them mindlessly. "Remember, the idea is that they're cursed – they'd take your wish and twist it in some way you wouldn't expect – or like. I doubt Demyx _wanted_ himself and Axel changed into children. Besides, now they are tied to this particular effect – they can't be calibrated to do something else. So unless you _want_ to be changed into a little girl…"

Larxene shut up, but she kept looking thoughtful.

"Well, we can't very well destroy them," Vexen said. "They are bound by a too powerful magic. I shudder to think what effect they'd have if we released it. Anything could happen – and we couldn't be so sure if the effects would still be reversible."

"I'll take charge of them and lock them away," Xemnas said. "It is obvious they are too dangerous to let fall in the wrong hands. Now that we have all the facts, do we need to discuss and measures we should take concerning the two mischief-makers who started it all?"

He looked down at the pranksters and smiled. Axel and Demyx were lying sprawled across Axel's chair, their arms wrapped around each other and Roxas, who was lying curled up on Axel's lap with his thumb in his mouth. All three were fast asleep.

"How about we send them to bed without dinner?" Saïx said.


	4. Sugar And Spice

"Numbers Eleven and Twelve are late," Xemnas said, looking around the Round Room. Two of the seats were conspicuously empty. "Where are they?" The leader of Organisation XIII was starting to look annoyed.

"I don't know," Saïx said, absorbed in leafing through his notes. "It's not that they are never late, but both of them at the same time? That is suspicious. Shall I send Roxas to fetch them?"

"Never mind, I think they have arrived," Axel said, pointing at the dark portal that was starting to form in the centre of the room. Marluxia appeared in a cloud of pink petals, looking agitated. "Who's responsible for this?" he yelled. Demyx and Axel exchanged a look. "Uh-oh, he's angry!" They snickered. Whatever was eating the Graceful Assassin, it had to be good.

Xemnas glared down at the pink-haired Nobody. "Responsible for what, Number Eleven?" he asked. "Explain yourself!" And am I going to need aspirin for this one? he added silently. He regretted having left the bottle in the top drawer of his desk.

"_This_," Marluxia growled. "He dragged a small person into view. Everybody leaned forward in their seats to get a better look at the golden-haired little girl who had been hiding behind him, clutching his cloak. The little girl looked up at them with big, blue eyes. She looked oddly familiar.

Axel nearly fell out of his chair trying to get a closer look. "Larxene?" Across from him, Demyx was doubled over with laughter. "She got – ha ha – rejuvenated!" He wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeve. "How- how did that…" *snicker* "happen?"

"As if you didn't know!" Marluxia snarled. He turned to the girl. "C'mon, show them what we found in your room!"

Larxene shyly put her hand in her pocket and drew out a couple of playing cards. Luxord's cursed cards. She held them up for all to see.

"How did you get those?" Lexaeus asked. "I thought the Superior locked those away!" He glanced at Xemnas, who began to look angry.

"Isn't it obvious?" Marluxia said, still furious. He put an arm around Larxene and drew her close, looking up at Xemnas. "_Somebody_ broke into your room, _stole_ them and hid them in Larxene's room so she'd be changed into a child. And I think we all know who those "somebodies" are." His eyes moved down the line to the usual suspects.

"Hey!" Axel protested. "What are you implying?"

"_We_ didn't do anything!" Demyx chimed in. "Besides, we're _Nobodies_, not _Somebodies_!"

"Bad joke, Demyx," Axel muttered at him.

"Sorry."

Marluxia snorted. "As if anyone would believe you. You're the only ones I can think of who would do such a thing. And didn't we all hear you both saying things were starting to get boring without children around, yesterday? I believe you were teasing Larxene at the time, too."

Demyx and Axel reddened. They had indeed been having that discussion and they started to realise that things weren't looking too good for them. "Still, that doesn't mean…"

"Silence!" Xemnas thundered, before the squabble became a full-blown argument. "Larxene, can you tell us what happened? _In your own words_," he added with a sharp look at Marluxia, who'd already opened his mouth again.

The girl sniffled and took a step forward, looking at the ground. "I-I don't know," she sobbed. "When I woke up this morning, I was – like this. I ran and got Marluxia and we went back to my room and f-found these cards, lying under my pillow." She burst out into tears and buried her face in Marluxia's cloak. "It's so mean! I n-never wanted to change back into a chi-i-ild!" She wailed.

"Sheesh, crybaby!" Demyx muttered. "It's only gonna be for twenty-four hours. And I didn't do it, so there!" he added for good measure, but he fell silent when Xemnas glared at him.

"Quiet!" his superior said and turned his attention back to the two Nobodies in the centre of the room. "Rest assured that we'll get to the bottom of this. I want to know exactly who took the cards from my room and how. Xaldin and Xigbar will be in charge of the investigation. Axel and Demyx, you two are confined to quarters until further notice." His words were met by a chorus of protests.

"…I'm _telling_ you, we didn't have anything to do with –"

"This is so _unfair_…"

"Surely they deserve more punishment than…"

"_Quiet_!" Xemnas yelled, for the third time that day. "If I hear one more word from _anybody_, I'll confine _everyone_ to their room. _Yes_, Number Six, what is it?" he said to Zexion, who had softly been conferring with Vexen and now raised his hand. "If it's alright with you, Superior, Vexen and I would like to use this opportunity to conduct further experiments in order to determine the nature of this phenomenon. Now that we've got a test subject –"

His words were cut short by Larxene who had uttered a sharp cry at the word "experiment". "Over my dead body!" Marluxia yelled, clutching her close. Xemnas sighed, looking as if he secretly would have been more than happy to let the two scientists experiment on both of them and Demyx and Axel thrown into the bargain. "I think your "test subject" isn't too thrilled about the idea. Sorry, but request denied. And dismissed."

All members left the room hastily, disappearing in clouds of black smoke, except for Xaldin, who remained seated in his chair and looked intently at Larxene, his eyes narrowed.

* * *

"Poor Larxene," Xion said as she and Roxas were talking over the recent events by themselves. She glanced over at Larxene and Marluxia, who were talking silently on the other side of the lounge area. The two youngest Organisation members had tried to console her, but it seemed that child-Larxene had every bit the temper the grown-up version had and they'd soon given up their efforts. "I wonder what happened. Say, you don't think Axel really – "

"No, I don't see how," Roxas replied. "I mean, I could see him and Demyx pull a stunt like that – but it would've been pretty stupid after what they said yesterday, everybody heard them! And _I_ didn't know what the others had done with the cards, so I'm pretty sure they didn't either. Actually, I'm sure of it, because I heard Demyx ask Xigbar what happened to them and Xigbar said it'd be a cold day in Hell before he'd ever tell _him_. I think they discussed what to do with them after we'd fallen asleep in the Round Room. I know they decided on _something_, but they never told us. All this happened when you were still in a coma," he added when Xion started to look confused. "I'm glad you woke up, but you missed a _lot_."

"Sounds like I missed a lot of _fun_," the black-haired girl giggled. "I would've liked to see what Axel and Demyx looked like as children. They must've been so _cute_!"

Roxas made a face. "They were a _pain_, is what they were," he said. "The others made _me_ baby-sit them, remember?"

"At least you don't have to baby-sit Larxene," Xion said, glancing over at the blonde girl. "I wish she was easier to get along with. She seems even crankier than normal."

"Yeah, thank heaven for small favours." Roxas yawned. He stood up and stretched. "Hey, let's look in on Axel. Xemnas confined him to his room – but he didn't say anything about not allowing visitors!"

* * *

Axel was in a bad mood, but he was still glad to see his younger friends. "Hey, come in," he waved, when they appeared at the door. "Come to pay your last respects to the condemned?"

"Oh, it's not that bad, Axel!" Roxas retorted. "You make it sound as if you're going to be executed!"

"Well, I'm _innocent_, aren't I?" Axel said sourly. "So why are Demyx and I locked up like a couple of criminals?"

"You really didn't do it?" Roxas asked. He winced as Axel glared at him. "Not that I don't believe you or anything… but be honest, it does look a little suspicious."

Axel snorted. "Well, I've got to admit, seeing Larxene as a little girl _does_ have a certain amusement value. But I didn't do it and I'm pretty sure Demyx didn't have anything to do with it either. He was with me until pretty late last evening after all. Larxene left the Grey Area and went to bed far earlier. There's no way either of us could've snuck into her room without her noticing – and we couldn't have done it earlier either, because Xemnas was in his office then. I think he kinda would've noticed if we snuck in and took the cards." He snickered.

"You're right," Roxas said slowly. "But if you didn't put those cards in her room – who did?"

Axel yawned and stretched himself out on the bed. "Well, that's the ten-million-munny-question, isn't it? Meanwhile, Demyx and I are stuck shouldering the blame. Which is _all_ kinds of unfair!"

He was interrupted when the door slammed open, making all of them jump. They were surprised to see Larxene storm in, her pale face red with anger. The little girl stomped up to Axel's bed and stood there glaring at him, clenching her fists. "Alright, where is it?" she demanded. "I _know_ you have it!"

"Have what?" Axel said, not even bothering to sit up. He put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, pretending to go asleep. "I have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

"Give. It. _Back_!!!" Larxene screeched, hitting the redheaded Nobody with her fists. Axel's eyes flew open and he bolted upright, trying to fend her off. "Whoa, there! I said I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Am I interrupting something?" Xigbar said, stepping into the room. "Sheesh, Larxene – I could hear you clear across the hall. Do you have to be so _loud_?"

All eyes turned to the grizzled Nobody. They had not heard him come in.

Larxene ended her assault on Axel and turned to the elder Nobody. "He stole my diary!" she cried, pointing accusingly at the fire-wielder. "Did not!" the redhead protested. "I didn't even know what she was talking about until just now!"

"Are you talking about that book with the pink cover and a lock on it?" Xigbar asked Larxene, pointedly ignoring Axel. "Xaldin has it."

"_What_?!" Larxene screamed.

Xigbar squeezed his one eye shut and made a pretence of cleaning out his ear with his finger. "Darn it girl – say it, don't spray it. We searched your room for clues as part of the investigation and he… confiscated it as evidence, I believe he called it. You want it back, you've got to ask him. Oh, but you can't," he added as Larxene ran past him, out of the room. The little girl stopped and looked at him. "He went off on a mission at Beast's Castle. That's another world." He grinned, enjoying her discomfiture. "And as you're currently a child – you aren't allowed to go."

He ignored Larxene's outraged expression and turned back to the room. "Alright kids, visiting hours are over!" he announced. "It's time for me to interrogate the prisoner!"

* * *

Larxene strode off in a huff. She did not for a minute consider to obey the decree that forbade rejuvenated Nobodies to travel between worlds. But she intended to make sure that she had an alibi, first.

"Marluxia?" she called to her friend, who was in his garden. The pink-haired Nobody appeared from behind some shrubs, carrying a bucket full of weeds.

"Oh, there you are, Larxene. Did you find what you were looking for?"

"No, but I'm getting there," the blonde girl answered, smiling up at him sweetly. "Could you do me a favour? Pretty, pretty please?" She assumed the cutest expression she could muster. It worked like a charm, as it always had.

"Of course I will, what is it?" Marluxia replied, his nonexistent heart melting.

"If anybody asks – will you tell them that I was with you all the time?" Larxene pleaded. "And if they come when I'm not here – tell them I just went to fetch something and will be back shortly. Pleeeease? It would mean so much to me!"

Marluxia looked at her dubiously. "Well, alright – but what are you up to? I don't want you to get in any trouble."

"I won't – and I'll tell you all about it when I come back, I promise!" the little girl said. She threw her arms around her friend and hugged him tight. "You're the best, Marluxia!" She planted a quick peck on his cheek and stepped back. "Well, I've got to go. See ya!"

She ran off. Marluxia watched her go, shaking his head. "Now what was _that_ all about?"

* * *

Larxene managed to create a portal and leave for Beast's Castle unnoticed, but once there she was at a loss what to do. If she confronted Xaldin and demanded her diary back, she would doubtless get in trouble for leaving the castle and she did not like contemplating the consequences. The little girl bit her lip as she crouched behind a set of armour, pondering her options. Finally she resolved to find the older Nobody and shadow him; perhaps he would reveal what he'd done with her diary. It was a long shot, but…

A sound made her jump. A black creature ran by, its metal helmet rattling. Larxene stifled an irritated cry; she had forgotten about the Heartless. They complicated matters. For one thing: they did not worry about escaping notice. A rather large Heartless appeared behind her, kicking over the armour in the process. Larxene quickly dispatched it with her lightning, then tried to calm down and think. Her breath came in short gasps; she'd been more startled by the Heartless than she cared to admit. Also, the falling armour had created a terrible din and she realised she had to get away fast, before the owner of the castle came to investigate. She could already hear a door slam somewhere.

Breathing fast, she ran up the stairs and peeked through the banisters, praying she wouldn't be noticed. She wasn't worried about a few Heartless, but she did _not_ want to confront the master of the castle. The Beast had a fearsome reputation.

She started as she heard a roar in the hallway and looked around frantically for a better place to hide. But the only place she could think of was further down the hallway and she knew she wouldn't make it in time. Trembling with fear, the girl decided to stay where she was and hoped that the Beast wouldn't notice her.

So absorbed she was in her predicament, she failed to notice someone sneaking up behind her. She got a terrible fright when she was suddenly picked up around the waist, a large hand pressed over her mouth.

Larxene started to kick, but the grip that held her only became tighter. "Quiet!" a heavy voice hissed in her ear. "Do you want to bring the whole castle down upon us?"

When the Beast entered the West Hall, he found the place empty but for a few Heartless, which he quickly dispatched, and the pieces of a fallen armour. He had no idea that there were two Nobodies hiding in a room behind a secret door, the existence of which he did not suspect known to anyone but himself. Peace restored in that particular section of the castle, he left, none the wiser.

In the half-dark room, Larxene breathed a sigh of relief. "Xaldin!" she cried, throwing her arms around his waist. "You saved me!"

"You can cut the sweet little girl act, Larxene," Xaldin said harshly, pushing her away. "That might work on Xemnas or Marluxia, but not on me. Did you think you could fool _me_? I can see right through you!"

Larxene stumbled backwards. "W-what do you mean?" she asked. Her lips trembled and she looked up at the tall Nobody with wide eyes.

"I'm talking about your little game, back in the meeting room," Xaldin said, fixing her with a sharp glare. "Very clever of you, lying about your own involvement and manipulating Marluxia into accusing Axel and Demyx when you know very well they were not to blame. And you almost had everybody fooled, too. _Almost_."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about," Larxene stammered, but she had become death-pale. "No?" said Xaldin. "Then perhaps you can explain how Demyx and Axel knew where the cards were? _We_ did not tell them."

"M-maybe they were only _pretending_ to be asleep when we discussed what to do with them?" Larxene offered, but it sounded contrived and she knew it. Xaldin snorted.

"Yeah? Well, I helped carrying them to their beds afterwards and I know a sleeping boy when I see one. They weren't faking. What reason would they have to do so anyway? Besides…" He lowered his voice ominously. "Xigbar and I examined the safe in Xemnas' office, from which the cards were taken. Do you know what we found?" Larxene fidgeted uneasily. "Scorch marks. At first glance, that would point to Axel. But why use fire to open a safe? _Lightning_, however, is another matter altogether."

He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a pink book. Larxene gasped as she recognised her diary. "I take it you come for this. I did not read it – yet. But perhaps its contents can shed some light on the matter?"

"No!" Larxene cried desperately. "Don't read my diary, please! I-I'll tell you everything! Just don't read it!"

Xaldin put the book back and glared at the girl. "You did this to yourself, that much is obvious," he said. "What I don't get is – why? Did you really want to be a child again that badly?"

"N-no," Larxene said, looking at the ground and shuffling her feet. "B-but yesterday, Axel and Demyx were teasing me – t-they said I was getting… wrinkly. I wanted to experiment a bit, see if I could make myself… just a _little_ younger. But it failed," she ended in a whisper.

"You terribly vain thing!" Xaldin said in a merciless tone. "To use such powerful much for such… _trivial_ ends. Well, it sure backfired on you, didn't it! And now I'll make sure you'll pay the price for what you've done."

Quick as lightning, he stepped forward and grabbed the girl firmly by the collar. The child yelped and struggled to get away, but Xaldin's grip was like a vice. He reached in his pocket and drew out a spanking paddle. "Haven't used this since Ienzo was little," he said, looking at it thoughtfully. "Always knew it would come in handy again someday." Dragging Larxene over to some crates standing in a corner of the room, he sat down and drew her over his lap. The girl squirmed and kicked. "W-what are you gonna do to me?" she cried.

"Isn't it obvious?" Xaldin replied, pulling up her coat. "I'm going to give you the spanking you so richly deserve."

"B-but!" Larxene began to fight in earnest now, trying to escape her precarious position. "I hardly did anything…"

"Oh?" Xaldin said. "Stealing the cards from the Superior's office, lying about it and letting Axel and Demyx take the blame, going to another world when you knew very well you weren't allowed _and_ nearly messing up my mission here – I'd say you did plenty. And now you're going to pay for it."

With those words, he tugged down Larxene's trousers and panties, drawing a shocked cry from the girl. "You can't do that!"

"I believe I just did. Now will you stop struggling? You're only going to make this worse for yourself." He did not wait for the girl to reply, but brought down the spanking paddle forcefully on her naked bottom, making her cry out.

Larxene pleaded, begged, wheedled, cajoled and even tried reasoning with him, but all to no avail. The big warrior continued to pepper her behind with an endless stream of loud smacks that echoed through the room, until the girl could do nothing but scream every time the paddle came down. She was sure she would never sit again. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" she finally cried, when Xaldin paused for a moment. She had not thought her words would get him to stop, but after a few more smacks, he did. He pulled her clothes back up and stood her back on the floor, where she collapsed, sobbing loudly. Xaldin stood up and looked down at the girl crying at his feet, no mercy or sympathy in his stony voice.

"Pull yourself together and go back to the castle," he ordered. "Find Saïx or Xemnas, tell them what you've done and take whatever punishment they decide on for you."

Larxene looked up at him with wide eyes full of tears. "B-but… What if they give me another spanking?" she whispered fearfully.

"Then that is what you will get," Xaldin said with a sadistic smile. "Not my problem. And believe me," he added threateningly. "Don't think about not telling them or running away somewhere – because in that case, I will find you and the spanking you just got will be _nothing_ compared to the one I'll give you then. Am I understood?"

Larxene nodded reluctantly. She got to her feet, trying hard to regain some of her lost dignity. But her bottom felt like it was on fire and she could feel more tears sting behind her eyes. Oh, why did Xaldin have to hit her so _hard_?

"Wait," the large Nobody said, as she turned to go. Larxene looked at him suspiciously, wondering if he was going to add to her punishment. But he took the pink diary out of his pocket and held it out to her. "Isn't this what you came for?"

She snatched the book out of his hand and ran.

* * *

Larxene teleported straight to her room. She knew that Xaldin had ordered her to see Xemnas or Saïx and that she probably should do so as soon as possible, but she really did not want to face anyone for the moment. The small girl threw herself down on the bed and burst out in tears. She spent a good ten minutes sobbing uncontrollably and then slowly calmed down. Still lying on her belly, she pulled out her diary, wincing at the pain even the slightest movement caused in her throbbing rear, and examined it minutely. She was relieved to find that the lock was not broken; at least Xaldin had not read her secrets. But the memory of the humiliation she suffered at his hands – and would quite likely continue to suffer, as she still had to confess the truth about her actions to her superiors – brought out the tears anew.

The girl was shocked out of her crying fit by a soft knock on the door. She bolted upright – her first thought was that it might be Xaldin, come to deliver further punishment for disobeying his orders. But it was too soon – and he wouldn't be so polite as to knock, would he? In a small, wavering voice she called: "Who is it?"

"It's me – Marluxia. You stayed away so long, I got worried. Are you alright?"

Larxene was filled with a wave of relief. Hastily wiping the tears from her face, she yelled: "Come in!"

Marluxia came inside and was immediately at her side, his pretty face filled with concern. "Larxene! What's wrong? Your face is bright red – have you been crying?"

Larxene had intended to appear composed and was already halfway through preparing a story to tell Marluxia. But the sudden comfort of the appearance of the only friend she had in the castle proved too much for her and she threw herself in his arms, starting to cry once more. Not knowing what else to do, Marluxia put his arms around the sobbing girl, trying hard to comfort her, as the whole story came out in bursts and sobs. He frowned as he realised how Larxene had manipulated him into accusing Demyx and Axel, but he became sympathetic when he realised how severely she had been punished for it.

"And now I have to tell Saïx or Xemnas what I did and they're gonna punish me again and I'm sca-a-a-ared!" the girl wailed.

"Don't worry, Larxene," Marluxia said, hugging the child tight. "I'll come with you and I won't let them do anything to you, alright?"

The girl looked up at him hopefully. "Pinky-promise?" she asked sweetly.

"Um, sure."

They hooked their pinkies together and shook on it. Larxene felt a lot better now, although she still felt nervous about having to 'fess up to her superiors. But Marluxia stood up and pulled her up with him. "Come on. No sense in putting this off."

"Can't we wait just a _little_ longer?" Larxene wheedled. "I don't think I'm ready quite yet."

"No," Marluxia said. "I said I'll stand by you when you face our superiors, but I'm not going to stand up to Xaldin." He shuddered. "There's something creepy about that guy."

Larxene quickly agreed. The faster they got this over with, the better.

* * *

As their luck would have it (or not), they found both Xemnas and Saïx in the Grey Area. To their surprise, Demyx and Axel were also there. Larxene thought they were still locked up in their rooms. She did not know why they were in the mission room, but their presence made her uneasy. She felt a little guilty as she thought about the trouble she had caused them. But whatever remorse she felt was quickly overshadowed by a sudden wave of nervousness as Marluxia coughed politely and pushed her forward. "Larxene has something to say to you," he said.

Larxene turned beet-red as all eyes in the room turned to her. She shuffled her feet, looked at the floor, fidgeted and finally said, softly: "It was me."

"It was you what?" Saïx said, confused. He was the only one who actually heard what she had said. Must be those pointy ears of his, she thought.

"It was me," she said, a little louder now. "I took the cards and made myself younger because Axel and Demyx were teasing me about getting wrinkles and I let them take the blame. I'm sorry," she said, looking up at them with big eyes, letting a few fake tears roll down her cheeks. She was hoping it would mollify the two troublemakers, but it did not seem to have much effect.

"You did it yourself and you didn't say anything when _we_ got punished for it?" Demyx said angrily. He stepped forward. "I can't _believe_ it! I had to stay in my room all day and Xigbar took my sitar away again, too!"

"See, I _told_ you we didn't do it!" Axel told Saïx and Xemnas triumphantly. "But would you believe me? Nooo…."

"Alright, we're sorry already," Saïx said, impatiently. "Consider yourselves acquitted." He turned to Larxene. "As for _you_…"

"Don't be too hard on her!" Marluxia said quickly. He put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "Xaldin's already given her a spanking – and quite a bad one too, as I understand."

"Oh, and I bet _she_ told you that, didn't she?" Axel said sarcastically, glaring at Larxene. "And you believed her – _again_?"

Larxene felt Marluxia's hand on her shoulder tighten as he considered the possibility that he might have been deceived yet again. It was too much for her. "It's true!" she cried, her lips quivering. Tears began to roll down her face – real ones this time. "He- he spanked me real bad and it still hu-u-uurts!" She turned and buried her face in Marluxia's coat, feeling like the whole world conspired against her. Xemnas held up his hand.

"It's easy enough to find out the truth," he said. "Xaldin has just returned from his mission. We simply ask him about it. Axel, go fetch him will you?"

Larxene exhaled a sigh as the fire-wielder left the room in search of the lancer. The redhead quickly returned with the other Nobody in tow. But the little girl's relief turned to astonished indignation when the tall warrior denied everything.

"I was at Beast's Castle. We all know very well that members aren't allowed to leave the castle when they're children," Xaldin said glibly. "I haven't even seen her since the meeting this morning."

Larxene's mouth fell open. "B-but," she stammered. "Y-you told me to…" She suddenly felt very frightened when Xemnas' and Saïx' stern faces turned to her. Xaldin smiled his sardonic smile. "Well, who are you going to believe? Me – or this lying little vixen?"

"That's enough, Xaldin," a new voice sounded from the doorway. Xigbar strode in. "A joke's a joke, but you're taking it too far." He turned to Saïx and Xemnas. "He did spank her. He told me so. In fact, we set up the whole thing from the beginning."

He looked at Larxene. "Let that be a lesson to you," he said sternly. "Not so funny when _you're_ the victim of a lie, is it? I believe you owe Axel and Demyx an apology."

Larxene felt her knees go weak. She slowly began to understand that Xigbar and Xaldin had set up a trap for her – and she'd fallen for it. She clung to Marluxia, feeling as if she was about to faint – but she quickly realised that she had to get her act together, if she wanted to avoid any more trouble.

"I'm sorry," she said in the sweetest voice she could muster. She looked up at Axel and Demyx with her big, blue eyes. "Really, really, _really_ sorry."

Axel grinned at Demyx. "Shall we believe her?"

* * *

"Where's Larxene?" Demyx asked later that day, as he and Axel sat in the Grey Area, engaged in a game of poker with Luxord and Xigbar. "I dunno why, but I feel uneasy whenever she's out of my sight. I keep wondering if she's up to something."

"She's downstairs with Marluxia," Axel replied, rolling his eyes. "Doing _girly_ stuff."

"Oh? Always had my doubts about Marluxia." Luxord chuckled.

"Yeah, well… I hope he can keep her out of trouble," the redhead replied. "Is it just me, or was she the most troublesome of all of us who got changed into kids?"

"Hardly," Xigbar grinned. "_She_ was easy to manipulate. _You_ two were out of control." He looked at the two younger Nobodies with mock sternness. Axel suddenly became very interested in the ceiling, but Demyx was thoughtful. "That reminds me," the young musician said. He glared at Xigbar. "If you knew from the beginning Larxene was behind everything, why'd you punish _me_? I mean, I can forgive the confinement if that was to throw her off – but what did you have to take my sitar away for?"

"What, you thought that was about Larxene? I _know_ it was you who painted my guns pink and tied ribbons on them two days ago," Xigbar said with a wide grin. "I've been _looking _for a chance to get even ever since!"

Demyx threw up his hands. "Make love not war, man!" He looked around, searching for an opportunity to change the subject. His eyes fell on Roxas, who was playing tick-tack-toe with Xion on the other side of the room. "Hey Rox, wanna join us?"

"No, thanks!" the boy called back. "You know very well that Saïx doesn't want you guys to teach me poker. And I still want my munny back, by the way!"

"He keeps remembering that," Demyx muttering, bending low over his cards. "Can't we change him into a toddler again? At least then he'll stop bugging me about it!"

"Well, I for one would be happy if nobody gets changed into a child anymore," Luxord said, tossing a card on the table. "Every time that happens, everybody looks at me like it's _my_ fault! I hope we've seen the last of it!"

* * *

But of course, he hoped in vain.


	5. Shadows From The Past

Vexen arrived early in the Grey Area one morning. He didn't have any missions due, but you never knew… Besides, he needed to synthesise an item. The room seemed empty; not even Saïx was there yet. Just the Moogle, floating serenely about three feet above the floor. Vexen strode towards it, getting the components for synthesis ready, when a faint rustle of papers distracted him. He looked around the room and discovered that it was not, after all, entirely deserted. One small being sat curled up in the corner of one of the couches, hood drawn up, deeply involved in writing something in a small notebook. At first, the scientist thought it was Xion, although he'd never known the newest member of Organisation XIII to be up and about so early – much less involved in what seemed like academic pursuits. But then the little figure moved and he saw a few strands of untidy, blue-silver hair fall out from under the dark depths of the hood to cover a small, thin face.

"Zexion?" he said, hesitantly. The diminutive Nobody looked up and pushed back the hood of his black cloak. For a moment, Vexen stared. It was as if he looked into the very depths of Time itself and he was hurtled back into the past. "Ienzo!"

"Zexion will do," the small boy sitting on the couch said, looking up at Vexen. "I'm still the same person, you know."

"But you… you…" Vexen found it hard to form a sentence. He tried again. "You look just like you did… years ago… when you were still a child. What happened? I thought the Superior locked those infernal cards away again. How did…"

"Oh, they're safe and secure, I assure you," Zexion said, his serious, calculated tone of voice belying the sweet, innocent look of his childlike face. "I decided to study them again – from the inside out, as it were. And I do so with the Superior's permission, in case you were wondering. There is still a lot we do not understand about them."

His words, carefully chosen and pronounced, seemed very odd, coming from a small child, but then, they always had. Vexen could hardly suppress a smile when he remembered that time, long ago, when they had first met. Trust Ienzo – no, trust Zexion to come up with such a daring approach. Vexen would never have chosen such a method. He shuddered when he thought of being a child again.

"Isn't it a bit risky?" he asked. "What if you don't revert back?"

Zexion shrugged. "So far, Demyx, Axel, Roxas and Larxene have all returned to normal within the frame of twenty-four hours," he said. "I have no reason to assume that this time will be any different. And it will allow me to experience first-hand exactly what the transition is like. So far, I don't feel much difference." He scribbled something in his notebook. "But then, I was not as very different as a child than as an adult – barring being a Nobody, of course."

He frowned when a noise in the hallway disrupted his thoughts. Axel, Demyx, Xion and Roxas came in, chattering animatedly. However, they all stopped talking when they saw a downsized Zexion sitting on the couch – and then they burst out laughing.

"Itty-bitty Zexion!" Axel said, scooting over and ruffling the boy's hair. "What's the matter – did you get on the wrong side of Luxord's cards?"

"Aw, how cute he is!" Xion cried, squealing and clapping her hands in delight.

Demyx snatched the notebook out of Zexion's hands. "Watcha writing?" He leafed through the contents. "Huh, I can barely read it. Bet it's boring stuff anyway."

"Give that back, if you please!" Zexion said, grabbing at the book. "Axel, stop that – I may look like a child, but I'm not. Don't be so childish, all of you."

They fell silent, staring at him. "Was he always this… mature?" Roxas asked Vexen. "When he was little, I mean? He doesn't sound any different."

"Always," Vexen replied with a slight smile.

A dangerous glint appeared in Axel's eye. "Oh, that won't do. A child should act like a child – not like a miniature adult." He snapped his fingers. "Demyx!" Help me out here, will you?"

"Wait – what are you doing? Hey! Let me go!" Zexion protested as the two Nobodies each took hold of him under an arm and carried him bodily out of the room, followed by a nonplussed Roxas and Xion. "Where are you taking me?"

"We're going to give you a childhood you apparently never had," Axel replied, tightening his hold on the struggling child. "And we're going to teach you how to be a _real_ boy!"

They nearly collided with Xigbar, who came into the room as they were marching out. The Freeshooter looked back in astonishment. "Was that Ienzo?"

"Near enough," Vexen replied, watching the mob go. "He's conducting some kind of experiment. Looks like he got more than he bargained for."

* * *

The next two hours Zexion would come to consider some of the worst of his life. Axel and Demyx had decided they would play some weird kind of tag, involving Zexion being blindfolded. It was not quite clear to the young scientist who exactly was supposed to tag whom, because although he was told that he was "it", every time he tried to escape the circle, someone would grab him and push him back in. It did not help trying to pull rank on the younger Nobodies either; Roxas and Xion had apparently decided that their age now had granted them superiority over Zexion and were having as much fun with the game as Axel and Demyx did. What made matters worse was that they seemed to have decided that Zexion was secretly enjoying himself, too – and was just pretending not to like it. So no matter how much the small Nobody tried, he could not escape their clutches.

Such was the scene that Lexaeus came upon, when he rounded the corner on his way to the mission room. The big Nobody stopped dead in his tracks when he came upon the rowdy group and looked at them in surprise. "What are you all doing? And who's tha – hey!" Recognising the smallest of the group, Lexaeus gasped. "Ienzo!"

"Why does everybody keep calling me that?" the boy complained. He tore off the blindfold. "And by the way, Lexaeus – help!"

The burly man pushed himself into the middle of the rabble. "Alright, that's enough. Can't you see you're bullying him?" He picked up the diminutive Nobody and put him on his shoulders, out of reach of the other four. Zexion threw his arms around Lexaeus' thick neck and stuck out his tongue at the others. Axel assumed a mock pout. "Aw… spoilsport!"

Lexaeus glared at him. "Don't the lot of you have missions to attend to?"

Roxas blanched. "Ah, crap! I totally forgot!" He grabbed Xion's hand and pulled her along. "Come on – we'd better hurry or we'll get in trouble!"

Axel looked after them and back at Lexaeus, who frowned at him. "Ah, um… I'd better go with them. Seeing as we're teamed up and all… Hey guys, wait up!" He ran after his younger friends.

Demyx suddenly found himself facing Lexaeus and Zexion alone. "Well, don't look at _me_," he said, shrugging. "_I_ don't have any missions today!"

Lexaeus kept glaring at him. The musician faltered and fidgeted nervously. "Um, maybe I _should_ go, right? Yeah… okay."

He turned tail and fled.

"Thanks," Zexion said to his giant friend. "Um, Lexaeus? You can put me down now…"

* * *

Zexion was fuming as he walked through the corridors of The Castle That Never Was on his way to Vexen's laboratory. It had taken him quite some time before he'd managed to convince Lexaeus that he needed to get back to his research and that he truly _was_ going to be alright on his own. He had forgotten how protective the big Nobody was of his much younger colleague. But he really could not use him around right now – because scientific research couldn't be further from his mind at the moment. No – his thoughts were aimed at much darker pursuits: revenge!

"I'll teach them to pick on me," he muttered to himself. "Now – Vexen is _bound_ to have something nasty lying around that I can use on them."

He pushed open the door to the lab and was mildly surprised to find it empty; his fellow scientist was absent. "Did he have a mission scheduled" Zexion wondered aloud. "I don't remember anything like that. Well, no matter." He was secretly relieved that his friend wasn't there; he wasn't _quite_ certain if the other scientist would approve of one of his potions or contraptions being used for something as petty as Zexion's revenge on some of his fellow Organisation members. Not in a way that could be traced back to him, anyway. No, the young boy decided – it was probably better if he didn't know. What he didn't know couldn't harm him.

He slipped inside and looked around. He knew the place very well; after all, he, Lexaeus and Vexen often worked together and Vexen's lab was the most well-equipped. But he found the transition to his younger self had muddled some of his memories; he didn't have _quite_ as much recollection of whatever should be in Vexen's lab, a fact which slightly worried as well as annoyed him.

"It doesn't help that he's so messy, either," he muttered, peering up at the labels of the potion bottles on a shelf. "Honestly, how much trouble would it take to alphabetise these? I can make neither heads nor tails of his system!"

He climbed on a stool and began to reorganise the various bottles and containers. So absorbed he became in his work that he did not hear Vexen returning.

"What do you think you are doing?" the older scientist's voice suddenly rang through the room. Zexion jumped, startled, and the rack of vials he had been holding fell to the floor with a crash, glass shattering in every direction. The boy lost his balance and would have fallen as well, but Vexen quickly sprang forward and caught him in his arms.

"Um, thanks…"

"Don't you "thanks" me!" The older Nobody glared at him icily and Zexion suddenly found he could not look him in the eye. He opted for the floor instead. "What were you doing, messing with my potions? Do you know how much work went into the ones you just dropped on the floor?"

The child fidgeted. "But if you hadn't burst in on me…" he protested plaintively.

It was the wrong thing to say. Vexen narrowed his eyes and the temperature in the room suddenly dropped a couple of degrees. "Ienzo…" he said slowly, coldly. "It seemed you have forgotten our little rule. You are not allowed to enter my laboratory without permission and you are most _definitely_ not to touch my equipment. You have done both. I'm sure you have not also forgotten what the consequences are?"

Zexion gasped and his eyes widened. Surely his friend didn't mean… "But Vexen!" he gasped. "That rule hasn't been in effect anymore for a long time! Not since I was…" he stopped.

"Since you were a child," Vexen finished for him, smirking. "Do I need to fetch a mirror for you?"

The small boy hung his head, defeated.

"Right," said Vexen, folding his arms and looking down at his small friend. "I want you to go to Xaldin and get his spanking paddle – I know he still has it, he used it on Larxene last week. You've got five minutes. Go!"

Zexion ran. Vexen watched him go and then turned to survey the mess on the laboratory floor. He couldn't help a small smile coming to his lips. Just like old times!

* * *

Zexion arrived at Xaldin's door within the minute, out of breath and gasping. When he caught his breath somewhat, he raised his hand and knocked. He was a little nervous, not looking forward to explaining to Xaldin what he needed and why. But there was no answer.

The diminutive Nobody started to panic. Vexen had told him to be back within five minutes and he had no doubt that there would be consequences otherwise. He had not taken in account the possibility that Xaldin might not be in his room. Yet, come to think of it; why would he be? It was in the middle of the day. The tall Nobody was probably away on a mission somewhere.

Hesitantly, the boy put his hand on the doorknob and twisted. The door swung open easily. Zexion raised an eyebrow. Didn't _anyone_ lock his door anymore?

He went inside and looked around, nervously aware of time ticking away. The room was clean and meticulously tidy. There were not many places where things could be stored, but that meant not many places where he needed to look, too.

He had only just started pulling out drawers and opening closets when someone scraped his throat behind him. The boy turned slowly and nearly fell over in shock as he looked up at Xaldin's angry face.

The look of anger on the big, black-haired Nobody's face was quickly replaced by one of surprise, and he raised an eyebrow. "Ienzo?"

"I'm still Zexion!" the little scientist said, a lot braver than he felt. "My current looks are just part of my researching Luxord's cards."

Xaldin's other eyebrow joined its fellow. "In my room?"

"No, I – uh…" Zexion realised he had to own up. "I broke some of Vexen's potion bottles and he told me to get, um…" His voice trailed off and he was unable to go on. He bit his lip and looked at the floor, overcome by embarrassment.

Xaldin burst out laughing. "Oh, I get it. That old rule, eh? But you wouldn't have found what you were looking for in my room." He put his hand in his pocket and drew out the dreaded spanking paddle. "Since the wave of rejuvenated Nobodies started in the Castle, I kept it on me. Never know when it might come in handy – like now."

Zexion sighed and held out his hand reluctantly. But Xaldin held the paddle out of his reach. "Not so fast, little one. There's still the matter of you breaking into my room."

"B-but…" Zexion was at a loss what to say. "Oh, I just have the worst luck!" he muttered.

"Luck doesn't feature into it – I had an alarm installed," Xaldin said. "I knew someone entered my room the moment you opened the door. Now – you can either go back to Vexen and tell him you didn't get what he sent you for – or undergo your just punishment right now. Which is it going to be?"

The boy sighed and went to the older Nobody without protest. "Alright – get it over with."

Xaldin sat down on the bed, pulling the smaller Nobody over his knee. He gave Zexion a few hard smacks which made the boy gasp, then set him down on his feet and handed him the paddle.

"Give my regards to Vexen," he said, smirking. Zexion glared at him, took the paddle and ran.

* * *

Vexen was waiting for him with his arms crossed and tapping his foot. "I said five minutes. You're three minutes late," he said, glaring.

"I'm sorry!" Zexion gasped. "Xaldin caught me going through his room and he… he…" He gulped in breaths of air.

His friend looked him up and down, taking in the boy's flushed face and his hands rubbing his bottom. "He spanked you?" he asked angrily. "When he knew I was going to give you a spanking as well?"

Zexion nodded.

"Badly?" Vexen inquired.

Briefly, the boy considered saying yes, and perhaps escaping another punishment. But he knew he couldn't lie – not to Vexen. He sighed. "No. Not badly," he admitted.

The older scientist let out a sigh. "Good," he said. He looked sternly down at his little friend. "Now – you'll get one smack for each vial or bottle that you misplaced – five for each one you broke. That'll be eighty-six in total. I expect you to keep count."

Zexion gulped. That was a lot more than he'd expected. His hands flew to his bottom, as if he could somehow shield it from the pain he knew was soon to follow, but he controlled himself and folded his hands in front of him – afraid that they might betray him and trail to his bottom again.

Vexen led the boy to the back of the room, away from the glass on the floor. He picked up the child and put him across his lap, pulling up the black coat, but leaving him the dignity of his pants. For such a little boy, the punishment he had planned would be severe enough as it was.

Zexion, lying helplessly over his friend's knees, clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the first blow. Even so, he could not help but cry out when it finally came, hard and stinging. He cried out again when the paddle came down a second time, and a third.

Vexen paused, laying a hand on the child's back. "How many, Ienzo?" he asked.

"T-three!" the boy hissed through clenched teeth. The scientist nodded and resumed the spanking. Every once in a while, he stopped for a moment, to give the small Nobody a chance to catch his breath. Zexion became quiet after a while, but he never lost count.

"E-eighty-six!" the boy finally whispered and let out a sigh of relief, hanging limp over Vexen's lap. His friend let him lie there for a bit and then pulled him up in a sitting position. He stroke the locks of hair hanging in front of Zexion's face and cupped the boy's chin, making him look up at him. Zexion was pale and his lips had red marks, as if he'd bitten them, but his eyes were dry. Vexen sighed.

"Ienzo… it's all right to cry, you know," he said, uncharacteristically gentle. The boy shook his head, looking very determined. "I… don't… cry!" he hissed.

"Have it your way," Vexen said. "It might help, you know." But he knew it was useless. Even when Ienzo had been a genuine child, he had never seen him cry, not once. The harshest punishment, the hardest trials, none had ever managed to coax the smallest tear from the small, defiant child. All Vexen could do for him was let him sit quietly, allowing him to regain his composure. The stubborn child would not accept even the slightest attempt at comfort.

When he sensed that Zexion had calmed down sufficiently, the older scientist put him back on his feet and patted him on the back. "Time to clean up that mess you made," he said.

The boy nodded and set off to work. He quickly, efficiently, gathered the remnants of the glass vials together, threw them in the dustbin and swept the floor. Soon, there no longer was any sign of the ravage left in the lab. When he was finished, he looked up at Vexen. "I'm done. Can I go now?" he asked in a small voice.

Vexen nodded, but watched him run off with some concern. The child had looked pale, strained. The scientist tried to absorb himself in his work, but finally put down the calculations he'd been calibrating, and sighed. He simply could not concentrate on anything until he'd made certain that Zexion was alright.

* * *

He teleported himself to the young scientist's room and was about to knock, when he heard a muffled sound, as if someone was trying hard not to sob.

He opened the door quickly without knocking and ran into the room. Zexion sat on his bed with his legs drawn up and his arms clasping his knees. Tears were running silently down his pale face, but when Vexen burst in, he quickly tried to wipe them away.

"Ienzo, are you alright?" the scientist asked in a gentle, concerned voice that no other person would ever, ever hear from him. He sat down on the bed next to his small friend, trying to put his arms around him, but the boy turned away, hiding his face in his arms. "D-don't look at me!" the child whispered in a broken voice.

Vexen tried to sort through the thoughts tumbling through his head and he quickly managed to make sense of the situation. "Ienzo – have you been crying like this, all by yourself… _every_ time?" he asked. When the boy would not answer, he grabbed him by the wrists, a little rougher than he intended, and pulled his hands away from his face, shaking him. "Answer me!"

Zexion looked at him with his small Ienzo-face, wide-eyed and pale. "I-I don't want you to see me cry," he sobbed, blinking hard. "Ever!"

Vexen looked him intently in the face. "But – why? There's no shame in crying!"

The boy looked away. "I don't want to – I – I!" He shook his head wildly, sending his blue-silver locks flying. "It's hard enough being a child when you're all so… so grown-up and I… You'll stop taking me seriously when I cry, so I can't! And I won't! Not ever!" He looked as determined as Vexen had ever seen him be and suddenly a lot of things fell into place. Visions flitted through his mind, memories of the small boy scientist, so serious and dedicated. Vexen had been proud of him, even then. But did the boy know that?

"You didn't want us treating you like a child," he said slowly, "even though you were one. And you didn't want to cry because you thought we'd think less of you?"

The boy nodded, averting his eyes. Yet Vexen could not fail to notice a small tear trickling out of the child's eye, making its way down his nose. The older scientist lifted a finger and caught it, wiping it away. Zexion sniffled.

Vexen drew him on his lap and this time the boy didn't resist, but settled down, resting his head on his friend's chest. He was trembling. The older man took a deep breath. "Ienzo… acting like a child now and then wouldn't have made any of us thing any less of you. In fact… you're the most genius child prodigy I've ever known and I've always respected you as a scientist – no matter how young you were."

The child stopped trembling and lifted his face, looking up at his friend. "Really?" he asked.

Vexen sniffed. "Come on – would we have allowed _anyone_ to join our research if we doubted his abilities? Our master might have failed at a lot of things, but he only chose the best to aid him." He poked Zexion in the stomach and the boy giggled. "And that means you."

"O-okay." The child wriggled free and stood himself in front of Vexen, raising his chin and assuming the determined expression that his friend knew so well. "But I'm still never gonna cry again!"

"Oh? Why not?"

"Because I'll never give you cause to spank me ever again, that's why!"

Suddenly the boy became very serious again and to Vexen, he now looked more like Zexion than Ienzo. "I have allowed myself to draw back into my child-self. I was _so_ determined that would not happen!"

"Zexion?" Vexen asked, sensing a change in his friend's demeanour. The young Nobody looked up at him and his eyes suddenly seemed a lot older, too old for the childlike face. He looked thoughtful. "I did not just assume a child's form – I _became_ the child. That is… interesting. I'll need to think about this."

"I'll leave you to it, then." Vexen sighed and raised himself to his feet. "Oh – just one thing…"

Zexion looked at him quizzically.

"What we discussed between us… never leaves this room," the older scientist said. "I would not like anyone to know that I have a soft spot."

Zexion smiled. "And I would not like it known that I was ever a child – a real child," he said. "Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me."

"And yours with me," his friend replied. "Good night, Zexion."

"Good night, Vexen."

* * *

Attendance to the meeting in which Zexion presented his report the next day was not mandatory, but all Nobodies had collected in the room anyway; they were all curious to hear what the young scientist's findings were.

Zexion presented the information he'd gathered in his usual cool, collected manned, but he could not prevent a hint of the fire of enthusiasm from creeping into his voice.

"As Nobodies, we have no heart, and therefore no feelings," he began, letting his eyes roam through the room and resting on various members in turn. "If we show emotions, it is through memories of how we _used_ to act, _used_ to feel; an act of habit more than the result of true feelings. It's what we fall back on to hide the emptiness that we know is there, inside; our continuing drive in our quest to get back our hearts, through Kingdom Hearts."

"We all know that," Marluxia snapped, fidgeting in his chair. He glared at Zexion. "What's your point?"

"I'm getting to that," Zexion said, patiently. "The point is this: I harboured the assumption that this rejuvenation process was an extension of that; a _memory_ of how we were as children, that would compel us to act the way we did then. However, I believe that such is _not_ the case."

"What do you mean?" Xemnas asked, leaning forward. Everybody was suddenly intently focussed on the scientist's words, turning over the implications in their mind.

"When I changed myself into a child," Zexion continued, "I resolved to let it be an outer change only; to hang on to my inner Zexion, as it were. If my "experiencing" emotions was merely a shadow, induced by memories of my former self, I should have been able to do so. After all, our outer show of emotions is a _conscious_ choice, not instinct. That is the difference between having and not having a heart. We choose our behaviour, but it does not come natural to us. However, as a child, I was _unable to do so_. In other words, I expected "Zexion" to be real, "Ienzo" the memory. I was surprised to find that_ it_ _was the other way around_!"

"What… what does that mean?" Demyx said, confused. Zexion turned his eyes to the musician. "It means, Demyx, that I did not just _assume_ the form of a child – I _became_ the child. What tipped me off was that everybody who knew me back then saw me as Ienzo – not a younger form of Zexion. It was not just because I looked like him – it was because to all intents and purposes, I acted _as if I still had a heart_."

There was a stunned silence as everybody let the words sink in. Finally Saïx said; "Are you saying – if we allow ourselves to be changed into children, we also get our hearts back?"

"I am not entirely sure," Zexion said, "and of course the process wouldn't be permanently. But it sure looks that way, doesn't it? I'd have to do more research to work out the particulars, but I am sure of one thing – what I felt and experienced yesterday, it wasn't just the usual pretence and habit – they were real, genuine emotions. I can only surmise that as Luxord's cards turn back time, they _literally_ toss us back to the state of being we had as children. _Including_ the possession of a heart. What's more, I think this discovery might prove crucial to the completion and application of Kingdom Hearts – and the restoration of our original selves." He looked up at Xemnas. "With that in mind, Superior, I'd like to continue my study of the cards – if I may?"

"Very well," Xemnas said. "These are interesting findings, Number Six."

"Thank you, Sir," the young scientist bowed his head in acknowledgement.

* * *

With Zexion's presentation over, the other Nobodies broke up into small groups and filtered out of the room, discussing this new knowledge among themselves in hushed, excited voices. All but four.

Xemnas sighed and glared at Axel, Demyx, Roxas and Xion, who were still sitting in their chairs, looking agitated about something. "Any reason you're still here?" he asked?

"Um, sorry, Sir," Axel replied, struggling with his arm, which for some reason he was still holding tight to the armrest. "But it seems like – I'm stuck!"

"Me, too!" Demyx cried, trying hard to get up from his chair and failing. "Do you think maybe we sat in something?"

"All of us?" Axel said. He looked at Xion and Roxas, who, sharing a chair, were not only stuck to _it_, but to each other as well. He turned back to Xemnas, who was trying hard not to laugh. "Um, Superior – a little help?"

"You've gotten yourself into this – you figure a way out yourself, the leader of Organisation XIII told him, the corners of his mouth curling. "I got a distinct feeling that you somehow deserved this."

He left the Round Room, chuckling to himself. Passing Zexion, who still stood in the shadow of his own chair, unnoticed, he gave him a meaningful look, but said nothing. The young Nobody grinned and looked back into the room where the other four were still struggling to unstick themselves from their seats. Zexion doubted they would be successful anytime soon. That was a _lot_ of superglue he used.

"Tag. You're it," he whispered, before turning around and teleporting out of the room.

Ah, revenge was sweet!


	6. For Old Times' Sake

Saïx raised an eyebrow as Axel entered the Grey Area in a hurry, looking flustered. "You're late," the blue-haired Nobody said, his brow knitting together in a disapproving glare. "Would it be too much to expect you to get out of bed at a reasonable time?"

"Oh, give me a break, Saïx!" Axel huffed, catching his breath. He had been running. "You know I'm not a morning person…"

"_Morning_?!" Saïx demanded. "It's past noon already! I swear, you take laziness to a completely different level. You're getting as bad as Demyx!"

Axel winced. "Ouch. That was low, even for you." He grinned. "C'mon Saïx, lighten up! The mission can wait… I doubt if it's of any importance _what_ time of the day I devote to it."

Saïx rifled through his papers and pulled out a card. "Defeating a Heartless that only appears at sunrise?" he read. "_I_'d say it _is_."

"Oops. He he…" Axel laughed sheepishly. "I'll do it first thing tomorrow, promise. Tell you what – I'm joining Roxas and Xion for ice cream in Twilight Town when they come back from _their_ mission. Why don't you come, too?"

"No thanks, I have a job to do. _Some_ of us actually take their work _seriously_, you know," Saïx retorted with a dark look at Axel. The redhead looked back, unflinching, and for a moment, some unspoken communication passed between them. Axel sighed. "Where did we go wrong?" he asked.

"What?" Saïx asked, nonplussed. "Where did _that_ come from?"

"You know what I mean," the fire-wielder said, looking him straight in the eye. "Things were different between us, before – even when we joined the Organisation. Yet now we're nowhere near the friends we used to be. Sometimes I even wonder if we're still friends at all."

Saïx looked away, uncomfortable. "What's done is done. What is, that is. No sense in beating yourself up over something that can't be changed."

"Bull," Axel said derisively. "Don't tell me you don't feel any regret."

Saïx looked up to face him again, his yellow eyes cold. "No. I don't feel anything." It was Axel's turn to avert his gaze now. But the redhead would not give up so easily. "It's not too late, you know," he said. "There are ways we can feel again like the way we did back then. Remember?"

With those words, the tall Nobody turned on his heel and strode out of the mission room, leaving his friend to ponder them.

* * *

Axel could be pretty stubborn. A germ of an idea had taken root in his thoughts and he could pursue his goals relentlessly if he put his mind to it - as Saïx would find out, much to his annoyance.

"Luxord's cards," the flame-haired Nobody said when he managed to corner Saïx later that day. "They can change us back to when we were kids. And I know Zexion has been bugging everyone to volunteer for one of his crazy experiments. I'm sure we could get the Superior's permission to…" He fell silent when the Organisation's second-in-command raised his hand. "I'm going to stop you there," Saïx said. "_Crazy_ experiments?"

Axel smacked himself in the head as he realised the slip of the tongue he made. "Ah, sorry. Force of habit. I'm sure it's perfectly safe. After all, I've been changed into a child two times already and nothing's happened to _me_."

Saïx glared at him. "You got into a lot of trouble, you nearly got killed by Heartless, you nearly drowned and I had to spank you twice. I don't call that _nothing_!"

Axel actually had the decency to look embarrassed. "Yeah, but… that wasn't a direct cause of the process… just some, uh… errors of judgement on my part."

"That's exactly what I'm talking about! Rejuvenation isn't exactly conducive to rational thinking! And in case you haven't noticed – we live dangerous lives here!"

Axel grinned, balling his fist and punching the other Nobody lightly on the arm. "C'mon… Isa! Don't tell me you're afraid? You? We used to be two of the biggest hell-raisers of Radiant Garden!"

The blue-haired Nobody narrowed his eyes. "Correction. _You_ were a hell-raiser. _I_ usually got dragged along and shared the heat when we got in trouble."

"All the better!" Axel beamed. "You can be the voice of reason and keep me in check." He took a deep breath and finally played his ace in the hole. "Besides – think about it! You can experience emotions again. _And_ Zexion said more research might help in completing Kingdom Hearts. You want that more than anyone! I know you – you don't make a pretence of having feelings like the rest of us because you're sick of it. You want the real thing."

He could see his one-time best friend wavering and give in and he smiled to himself. Victory!

* * *

"All you have to do is touch the cards," Zexion said as Axel and Saïx arrived at his laboratory later that evening. Axel reached out and ruffled the young scientist's untidy hair. "Sure thing, Ienzo!" He grinned in anticipation.

"Stop that," Zexion said with the weary patience of one who had said the same thing a hundred times already. He swatted Axel's hand away and fixed him with a glare. "I am not a child now and even if I _were_, I would not appreciate you doing that. The joke's turning stale. Now, as I was _about_ to say," he continued, not missing a beat, "the effect won't be immediate. What seems to trigger the transformation is sleep: both the rejuvenation and the reverse process have always taken place while the subject was asleep. How Luxord ever thought this would be useful in battle is beyond me," he muttered to himself. "Anyway, touching the cards doesn't even appear necessary: for Roxas, for instance, it was enough to merely be in Luxord's close proximity for a certain duration. It seems that the younger the subject is, the more susceptible he is to the effect. You shouldn't have any problem triggering it, but someone like Vexen might be considerably more difficult to affect. Unfortunately, he seems unwilling to let me substantiate my hypothesis on that." He said this in a regretful voice and Saïx and Axel exchanged a look. Saïx had already begun to regret letting the other Nobody talk him into this. A thought occurred to him.

"If the effect can occur by being in close proximity of the cards," he said, "how come _you_ didn't change into a child again?"

"Why, I'm not sleeping, of course," Zexion said. He looked it: big shadowy bags were under his eyes, which were small and a little too bright. Yet lack of sleep did not seem to negatively afflict his energy level – or to curb his enthusiasm about the project, which could be noticed in his every word. "I have put off sleeping for three days now – it's one of the reasons why I've learned the role sleep plays in the process. I last handled the cards the day before yesterday. I am curious to see if there will still be an effect after that time – or if its influence will wear off after a few days. Now then – if you gentlemen are ready?" He motioned towards the cards.

Axel reached out and touched them without hesitation. After some deliberating, Saïx did the same. They had stood for a full minute with their hands on the cards when he finally asked: "How long are we supposed to do this?"

"That will do," Zexion said, putting his stopwatch away. "It's probably not even necessary to touch them _that_ long – but I want to make sure. I want to make the most of this opportunity. That said – I'd like to observe you as you sleep, to be able to see the transformation process itself. So you'll be sleeping in the land. I've had beds prepared for you." He gestured towards two field beds that were set up at the back of the lab. Axel grinned at Saïx. "I hope you don't snore."

Saïx was already starting to feel regrets.

* * *

The next morning found two little boys sitting next to each other on the examination table, exchanging nervous glances as Vexen and Zexion bustled about them, taking measures, tapping blood and doing things that Saïx couldn't even _begin_ to define. He tensed as Vexen came up with a weird contraption that most resembled something that had its origins from outer space, attached wires to it and placed it on his head. "I-is this going to hurt?" he asked, glancing up uncertainly at the scientist.

"Of course not!" the ice-wielder scoffed. "Much," he added after some thought. "I think. We've not had a chance to try it out on a living subject yet. That said, it'll be completely safe. You'll probably just feel an unpleasant sensation for a bit. Try to ignore it…"

"Is this really necessary? Ow!" Axel complained as Zexion jabbed a needle in his arm and tapped off another small vial of blood. "I don't think I like this anymore…"

Zexion raised a warning finger, silencing the child. "It's what you and Saïx volunteered for, you know that," he admonished. "And yes, this is absolutely necessary. We need the blood samples to compare them with those from your older selves later on. So bear it."

"B-but you never said anything about _needles_, Zexion!" Axel whined. He pouted. "I hate needles."

"This is the last one," Zexion said, ruffling Axel's hair and smiling at the irony. "Be a big boy now."

"Can we go and play then?" Axel asked hopefully. Next to him, Saïx lifted his head eagerly. The contraption on his head did not hurt at all, nor did it cause any unpleasant feelings (he wondered if Vexen had merely told him that to make him anxious) but it was heavy. The blue-haired boy had more patience than his friend, but he was rapidly getting fed up with the scientists' fussing.

"Maybe later," Zexion said. He held out a metal rod attached with a wire to a strange-looking machine. "Hold this."

"I'm done here," Vexen announced as he removed the space-hat. He looked at the data that appeared on the monitor before him and tapped a few keys, making a print-out. He examined the long row of numbers on the papers that rolled out of the printer and said: "Do you need anything else? Lexaeus and I still have our own research to do, you know."

"No, you can go," Zexion turned to take the print-outs from Vexen but he suddenly wavered on his feet and would have fallen if Lexaeus, coming up from the back of the lab, hadn't caught and steadied him. Vexen gave him a sharp look.

"Get some rest," he remarked. "You look like death warmed over. More than usual, I mean," he added.

"Ha ha," the young scientist retorted. "I can't sleep – I'm conducting another experiment on the side here, have you forgotten? Go, already. I'll be fine."

His friends gave him one last, dubious look, but left. Zexion sighed and turned back to his victims.

Axel squirmed apprehensively. "Can we go, too?" he pleaded. "I mean… I have to go pee."

"Yeah, me too," Saïx quickly added, sensing a chance to be relieved from Zexion's torturous examinations, if only for a while.

"Very well," Zexion said. "But don't be too long," he added warningly. "I expect you to be back here within fifteen minutes."

Grinning at each other, the boys ran off.

* * *

Axel wasn't lying; he really had to go. Saïx, however, just wanted an excuse to get out of the lab for a while. So he waited outside in the hallway, leaning against the wall, until his friend was finished.

Axel emerged from the bathroom not five minutes later, wiping his hands on his coat – after all this time, Saïx observed, the concept of paper towels still eluded him. Well, at least he washed his hands.

The redhead grinned. "So. Whereto now?"

"How about, back to the lab?" Saïx shot his friend a quick glance. "Zexion said he expected us back."

"Yeah – in _fifteen minutes_. I'm in no hurry to be poked and prodded again, are you? Bet he's not even learning anything. Come on, let's have a bit of fun while we can." He ran off. Saïx followed dubiously. He was pretty sure Zexion had only meant for them to go to the bathroom and back, not to go play. He shrugged mentally. Then again, where was the harm? As long as they got back in time, the scientist wouldn't know any better. "Lea, wait!" He hurried to catch up.

The Castle That Never Was was a big place and there were plenty of places where two young boys could go to play and have fun. They spent some time chasing each other on Naught's Skyway and climbed all the way up to look at Kingdom Hearts. Finally they travelled the Dark Corridors and found themselves in the Round Room. Axel looked up at the marble chairs standing in a circle. "You know, there are thirteen chairs and fourteen members," he said thoughtfully. "Are you thinking… musical chairs?"

Saïx snorted. "Can you imagine Vexen or Xemnas playing musical chairs in the meeting room?" The image caused both boys to erupt in uncontrollable laughter.

"Oh, that's funny," Axel gasped, wiping tears from his eyes. "No… I guess not. Maybe we can get some Dusks to play."

"Is there a reason why you're here, and not in the laboratory?" came an unexpected voice from behind them. Both boys turned slowly; they had not seen Xemnas appear.

"Um… breaktime," Axel said, trying to appear nonchalant. "But we'd better go back now, before Zexion comes looking for us. We're not supposed to stay out long."

"Is that so," Xemnas said dryly. Saïx had the impression he looked right through them, and the fabricated excuse Axel presented. "Well then, I should not detain you – considering I only gave you permission to go through with this in order to aid Zexion in his research. But there is something I think you should see first. Come with me."

He created a dark portal and took each of them by the hand. Axel and Saïx exchanged nervous glanced, wondering if they were in some sort of trouble. But Xemnas merely took them to the Grey Area, where some of the members not currently on missions were engaged in various activities. Lexaeus looked up from the twisted pieces of metal forming a puzzle he was attempting to disentangle. "What are those two doing here?" he asked brusquely. "I thought they were down at the lab?"

"I caught them in the Round Room, to what purpose I hesitate to guess," Xemnas replied. "I thought I'd take the opportunity to show them the Rules."

There was something about the way he said it that sent a shiver down the boys' spine and they exchanged another glance behind the Superior's back. Rules? They didn't like the sound of that.

Xemnas pushed them towards the notice board hanging on the wall next to where the Moogle was hanging in the air. Raising their heads, the children saw a white sheet of paper tacked to the board that hadn't been there that morning. There was a hushed silence as they read what it said.

Rules for the Rejuvenated:

1. Children must be accompanied or supervised by at least one adult (or Roxas) _at all times_.

2. Under no circumstances may children travel to another world unaccompanied or without permission.

3. Children must listen to their elders and obey them without question regardless of rank or seniority.

4. No pranks, mischief or troublemaking!!!

Failure to comply with these rules will result in appropriate punishment!

Axel made a face at that last sentence before turning to Xemnas. "Are those really necessary?"

Xigbar, coming up behind them, grinned at him. "Signs point to yes," he said, ruffling Axel's hair. "We don't want a repeat of what happened when you and Demyx were changed into kids, so we decided to make some things very clear beforehand, letting you know what's what. So you'd better behave, Flamesilocks!"

Axel punched him on the arm, as high as he could reach, at which the elder Nobody picked him up and held him upside down by his ankles. Saïx ignored their laughter as he read the rules again, committing them to memory. They weren't so bad – mainly officiating what they already knew, in fact. They shouldn't be too hard to follow.

He felt a small twinge of guilt as he recalled Rule Number Three; he was pretty sure that they had disobeyed Zexion by staying away longer than the allotted fifteen minutes. But he set his mind at ease when he considered that they always could say that they were delayed by the Superior. That _was_ the truth, after all.

"Hey Moon-boy," called Xigbar, stirring the blue-haired boy from his thoughts. "Luxord, Xaldin and I are starting up a board game. You and Red wanna join in?"

"Yeah!" Axel exclaimed enthusiastically.

"No!" Xemnas said firmly, glaring at Xigbar and Axel in turn. "In case you have forgotten, these boys have somewhere else to be." He looked sternly at Saïx and back at Axel. "That was the agreement."

Luxord sighed. "Pity. We really need a fourth player. It's no fun with three."

Axel giggled. "Ask Larxene."

The gambler stared. "Are you nuts? She throws over the board whenever things go bad for her. That girl is _such_ a sore loser. I'd rather play with the Moogle!"

Finally the three Nobodies convinced Lexaeus to join them and the boys were shoed out of the room by Xemnas. At the door, Saïx turned and looked back at him. "Um…"

The Superior sighed. "What is it, Number Seven?"

"Rule Number One," the blue-haired boy said. "We're not allowed to wander about alone, right?"

"I am sure I can trust you two to walk from here to Zexion's laboratory unaccompanied, Saïx," Xemnas smiled. "Permission to go there unsupervised: granted."

Saïx nodded and left. Axel was waiting for him further down the hallway. "What?" the blue-haired boy said when his friend scowled at him.

"You are such a suck-up, Isa!"

"Am not!" Saïx retorted, only dimly noting the use of his original name and how much more comfortable it felt to him than the one he had adopted when he became a Nobody. "I just don't want to get in trouble, is all."

"Suuuure," Axel said, turning away and folding his arms. "You just wanna score some brownie points with the Superior, dontcha!"

Saïx resisted the urge to punch his friend in the face. He was pretty sure that "fighting" was prohibited by the rules, too. It probably fell under "troublemaking".

"Let's just go back to the lab," he said. "Idiot," he added, mumbling the last word under his breath. Axel pretended that he hadn't heard.

* * *

However, when they came to the lab, they found it empty. ""Um," Axel called, looking around. "Zexion?"

"Over here," Saïx said, having walked to the back of the lab. The redhead joined him. "Geez…" he uttered.

Saïx snorted. "You can say _that_ again."

Zexion was lying curled up on one of the field beds, fast asleep. He had his arms wrapped around a pillow and was even snoring a little. Axel leaned over, grabbed his shoulder and shook him. "Zexion. Hey – Zexion?"

The slate-haired young scientist mumbled something and curled up even tighter into a foetal position. The boys stood there regarding him for a long while. The young Nobody did not wake up.

Finally Saïx exhaled a deep breath. "Sooo… what do we do?"

"He looks so cute, sleeping like that," his friend grinned. "Wish I had a camera." Another thought occurred to him. "Say, do you think he'll become a kid now?"

The pair watched the sleeping scientist with great interest for a few minutes, but when Zexion didn't show any signs of becoming either smaller or younger, they became bored. Axel shifted on his feet. "Let's bail," he finally said, turning around and leaving the room.

"Wait!" Saïx ran after him. "We're not allowed to be unsupervised, remember?"

"So? Find someone to supervise us," Axel replied grumpily. "_I_'m not gonna wait in the lab until someone decides to check on us – that could be all day!"

Saïx sighed and kept his silence. He'd long ago learned that was the best way to deal with Axel when his friend was in one of his dark moods. They were rare and never lasted long, anyway. He silently resolved to be on the lookout for someone who could accompany them. Preferably Roxas or Xion; someone they could boss around but would still count as an "adult".

As their luck would have it, the first person they ran into was Demyx, who was on his way to the Grey Area. The musician halted in his tracks as he saw them. "Hey, guys!"

Saïx felt a moment of uneasiness as the Melodious Nocturne scrutinised him, grinning. "So that's what you look like as a kid, Saïx! Hey, fancy that – I was just on my way to see you. I forgot that you were rejuvila… rejuvale… downsized."

"Demyx," Axel said, hanging from the blonde Nobody's arm like a monkey from a tree. "Do you want to go outside with us?" He made a face at Saïx. "Because Little Boy Blue over there is afraid to go without a grown-up."

Demyx chuckled. "Oh, the Rules, right? Yeah, I saw them this morning. Just so you know, they weren't _my_ idea. But sure, I'll go with you."

Axel peeked at Saïx from under Demyx' arm. "Happy now?"

Saïx just stuck out his tongue at him.

* * *

Demyx, Saïx reflected, may have been officially classified as an "adult", but he could act more childish than "Isa" and "Lea" together. The threesome had ventured out into the Dark City and spent a happy afternoon chasing each other down the abandoned alleyways. Although a nagging voice at the back of Saïx' mind kept telling him that they _should_ have gone to Xemnas or Xigbar after finding Zexion asleep and informed them about the situation and asked for further instructions, the child in him soon put his doubts to rest and he got into the game with as much zeal as the other two.

He fell back when Axel and Demyx got into a fire-and-water-battle, one in which he could not join. For a moment, the blue-haired boy felt a pang of envy when he looked at them and wished he had a cooler element. The other two Nobodies made their powers look so… spectacular, while his… wasn't. He looked up at Kingdom Hearts, which shone brightly through the high buildings and he felt an odd connection with it. His element of the moon and Kingdom Hearts. And, he reminded himself, he _was_ second-in-command in the Organisation. When it came down to it, he outranked both those clowns with their goofy powers. Feeling better about himself, he settled down and watched the show.

He had to admit, being a child _was_ fun. And it brought with it a whole slew of emotions he had almost forgotten existed. When was the last time he had felt _truly_ envious? And now, sitting on the sidewalk in that gloomy city, watching the wild antics of the other two, other emotions bubbled to the surface. Amusement. Happiness. Joy. He laughed out loud, it felt so good.

Between the two of them, Axel and Demyx created sparks, fireworks, glittering drops of rain and waterfalls, but mostly steam. Saïx lost sight of them and it made him recall something.

"Demyx," he called out through the mist. "Back in the castle, you said you were on your way to see me about something. What was it?"

"Oh yeah," Demyx yelled back. The fog parted and the youth appeared, waving his hand to dismiss the vapours. "I was gonna see you about some details concerning my mission this aftern…" His voice trailed off and he blanched, staring at Saïx in disdain. "Oh crap! The mission!" He summoned a portal and jumped through, nearly tripping over his cloak in the process. "Gottagoitwasfunseeya_bye_!" He vanished.

"Where did Demyx go?" Axel asked, stepping out of the fog and looking around. "He was here a second ago."

Saïx waved vaguely. "He had stuff to do."

* * *

Things were less fun without Demyx around and although the small Nobodies tried to continue their previous game, in the end the gloomy atmosphere of the Dark City got to them and they just sat on the ground with their backs against a wall, watching the scenes on the big screen of Memory's Skyscraper. Finally, Axel yawned.

"I'm bored. This place is dull. It's a _dead_ city," he said. "What shall we do?"

"What we _should_ do," said Saïx, "is get back inside the castle. They're probably looking for us and we broke the rules. We're gonna get in trouble."

"Broke the rules?" Axel scoffed. "No way – we went out with an adult to watch over us. It's not _our_ fault that Demyx ditched us!"

"I suppose…" his blue-haired friend said uneasily. "But we still should get out, before the Heartless come out."

"Tell you what…" Axel said, his eyes shining with the enthusiastic sparkle that told his friend that he'd gotten an idea. "How about we go… home?"

"Home?" Saïx echoed. It was as if his heart stopped for a moment. He had to repeat the word to make sure he had heard it correctly.

"Yeah, home!" Axel cried, jumping to his feet. "Radiant Garden, Hollow Bastion, whatever they call it these days. Come on – can you seriously say you don't want to see it?"

Axel's fire was catching. Another feeling was stirring in Saïx breast; he suddenly felt homesick and overcome with a desire to see it once again – the white streets, colourful buildings, the gentle rustle of leaves and the clattering of fountains. Radiant Garden! Forgotten were the thoughts of rules, the Superior and all the other members of Organisation XIII. All he could see was the longing in his own heart, reflected in his best friend's green eyes. Lea's hand grabbed his and pulled him to his feet. Creating a portal, they were through it in an instant, leaving nothing but the lonely wind howling through the empty streets.

* * *

If anyone noticed the sudden appearance of two young boys clad in long, black coats on the bailey, they showed no sign of it. Reconstruction of Hollow Bastion had just begun and the people were busy. The first new houses and shops had been erected and it was starting to feel like a town again – but only just.

"Lea" and "Isa" looked down at the place from their vantage point high up on the ramparts in stunned silence.

"I-I don't get it," Saïx whispered, dismayed. "I mean, I knew it had changed, but I never realised… how much. I barely recognise any of it."

"Yeah," Axel said, equally hushed. The redhead looked close to crying. "It's gone – all gone!"

They sat huddled close together, taking what little comfort they could from each other's presence while they tried to make sense of the sight before them.

They were so absorbed in their grief that they didn't see the brown-haired young man come up the steps and he didn't notice them until he nearly tripped over them. "Whoa, there!" he called. "You shouldn't be up here, it's dangerous… what's the matter? You lost?" The man noticed Axel's hunched-over position and Saïx' arm comfortingly thrown around him. "Are you hurt?"

"Um… nosir," Saïx said quickly, pulling Axel to his feet and moving away. "We're alright… we're going now." The two little Nobodies ran off, leaving Leon to shake his head in confusion. "Weird little kids," he muttered. "Now where have I seen them before?"

The boys ran around a corner and leaned against the roughly-built wall, gasping for breath. They had to make an effort not to run back and gaze at Leon.

"That was Squall!"

"Think he recognised us?"

"No way!" Saïx said, thinking quickly. "We _do_ look different from back then – and we had our hoods up. I doubt he saw our faces. Anyway, he wouldn't expect to see us as children. But this is good news – not _everything_'s changed. Let's walk around and see if there are more people we know. We have to be careful though. If we are recognised, there will be difficult questions to answer."

* * *

The boys made their way to the busier part of the town. The closer they came to the marketplace, the more the place started to resemble the Radiant Garden they once knew; it seemed the people were rebuilding the town after the original plan.

When they came to the edge of the town square, they could see a couple of children playing together and they stopped to watch. The children were three of those anthromorphic creatures that seemed to pop up more in various places since the worlds had been torn asunder and restored. This particular threesome looked like ducks and they were so much alike that Saïx and Axel found it difficult to tell them apart, but for their clothes. They were running around, tossing something to and fro between them and laughing. Axel's eyes narrowed.

"I believe that is…" he started. "Yeah, it is! I don't believe it! That's my Frisbee!" He broke into a run. "Hey! That's my Frisbee!"

The duck triplets halted their play as the young Nobody approached and looked at him suspiciously.

"We found it in the ruins," one said.

"Are you sure it's yours?" asked a second.

"I don't see your na-a-a-me on it," drawled the third.

"Then get a friggin' prescription for your eyes!" Axel snapped. He grabbed the toy and flipped it over, pointing. "There's my name, see?"

Sure enough, on the inside of the Frisbee a name was carved: _LEA_.

Saïx ran down to stand beside his friend, wondering if there was going to be a fight, but the duck boy in the green shirt shrugged.

"Sorry, pal," he said. "If it's yours, of course you can have it back."

"Thanks!" Axel said, too elated to sound sarcastic. He tossed the Frisbee in the air and caught it again. "Man, I missed this thing." He turned back to look at the ducks. "Wanna toss this around?"

"No, thanks," the duckling in the red shirt said. He turned to his brothers. "It's about time we got back to the store – we're supposed to watch it. But you have fun."

"Thanks," Axel said, watching them run off. Saïx glared at him. "Whatever happened to keeping a low profile?"

"Aw, come on," the redhead said, tossing the Frisbee straight at him. Saïx caught it. "It was worth it, to get this back. Come on, let's play."

It was amazing how quickly one could fall back into old patterns, Saïx mused as he and Axel ran through the streets of Hollow Bastion, chasing the Frisbee. If he squinted, it almost _looked_ like Radiant Garden. He hoped that the people would succeed in restoring it to its original glory. Maybe then he and Axel could return sometime…

He was broken out of his reverie by the sudden shout of shattering glass and Axel's loud exclamation: "Oops!"

Saïx eyes moved from his friend to the broken window of one of the houses down the lane and back at Axel. A door opened and an old wizened man with a long white beard came out, carrying the Frisbee. "Alright, who threw that?" His eyes fell on the pair of Nobodies. "You two!"

"Run!" Axel gasped, giving his friend a push.

"What about the Frisbee?"

"Never mind that! I don't want it back _that_ badly!"

They ran down the narrow road and back up the steps to the bailey and stood there gasping, wondering if they weren't being followed. They weren't.

Saïx smacked Axel on the back of his head. "That was stupid!" he said.

"Ow! Hey, it was an accident!" Axel protested. "I didn't mean to!"

"Yeah well, you'll be in a lot of trouble when your parents hear about thi-"

Saïx fell silent. The air grew uncomfortable between them as they remembered. They were Nobodies. They had no parents. They could never get in trouble for anything they did in Radiant Garden ever again.

"Thanks for spoiling the mood, man!" Axel grumbled at his friend.

"…sorry."

* * *

"Don't tell me," Xemnas said, groaning and fumbling for the bottle of aspirin in his pocket. "I don't want to know."

Xigbar grinned sheepishly at him. "Sorry, Boss. Yup, they're gone!"

"Who's gone?" Marluxia asked, walking into the room. The Graceful Assassin stretched and yawned. "That is _one_ mission I don't ever want to go on again. I _hate_ flying Heartless. Oh yeah. Who's gone?"

"Our current child residents – Axel and Saïx," Xigbar said with a smirk. "They were supposed to aid Zexion with his research down at his lab, but as the castle hadn't come down around our ears yet, I decided to check up on them and the place was empty. They're missing."

"Oh," said Marluxia. "Well, I don't know about Axel and Saïx, but I saw _Ienzo_ run down the hall, looking agitated about something. Whoa!" The pink-haired young man startled as Vexen and Lexaeus jumped up from the couch where they'd been sitting and stormed out of the room, nearly bowling him over. He watched them go in confusion. "I should have stopped him or something?"

"That _would_ have helped, yes," Xemnas said sarcastically. The bottle of aspirin was still eluding him. "Well, you can help looking for them now. Three children loose in the castle," he grumbled, finally feeling his fingers closing around the small container. "I should never have given Zexion permission to continue his experiments!"

He was interrupted by the appearance of Roxas and Xion, who looked a bit red in the face and out of breath. "I don't think they're in the castle," Roxas huffed, looking anxiously up at Xemnas and Xigbar. "We've looked everywhere – even outside. We can't find them."

The older members exchanged a worried glance. "You don't think…" Xemnas said.

"Axel? Absolutely," Xigbar said grimly. "Saïx, not so sure. Still, he _is_ a child now, and if Axel convinced him…" He scratched the back of his head. "But if they went to another world, how will we ever find out which one?"

"I have _no_ idea," Xemnas said, exasperated.

"Um," Roxas said hesitantly. "Where would they _want_ to go? Where are they from, originally?"

His superiors stared at him. Xigbar clapped him on the back and grinned at him. "Whaddaya know!" he exclaimed. "The kid's got brains and he's not afraid to use 'em!"

* * *

Unsuspecting of the irrevocable doom hanging over their heads, the two runaways spent the rest of what remained of the day sitting on the bailey overlooking the new town, talking and reminiscing about old times. Whatever awkward moments there had been between them had passed and they had quickly regained their spirits, chatting and laughing as they remembered the good times they had together.

"Hey," said Axel. "Do you remember when we dared each other to sneak onto the castle grounds and spend the night there? And you were so scared you crawled under a bush and wouldn't come out until sunrise."

Saïx snorted. "_I_ was scared? _You_ were the one who started crying when an owl flew by!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Axel opened his mouth again to start another denial, but instead he settled back against the wall a little more comfortably. "Man, I miss the old days."

"Yeah," his friend agreed. "We can never have them back, though."

"No, but…" The redhead turned to him, looking at him meaningfully. "We can move forward. And we can go in any direction we want to go. Whatever we will be in the future is all up to us."

"You're right." Saïx looked back at him with a newfound respect. "You _were_ right, you know. About this being a good idea, I mean. I will never forget this day. But I wonder if we can hang on to that feeling, when we go back to being Nobodies I mean?"

"Who knows?" Axel said. He stood up and waved his arms in circles, getting the stiffness out. "We'll not find out until we try. But speaking of going back – we'd better. Before we get in trouble for going AWOL."

"Too late for that," a grim voice spoke next to them.

The boys jumped and slowly looked up to… Xigbar, standing on the rampart with Roxas next to him. The swirling darkness of a portal loomed behind them.

"Axel!" Roxas ran over, enveloping his friend in a hug. "I was worried about you!" After some hesitation, he hugged Saïx, too. The blue-haired boy allowed it – it was by far preferable to having to look at Xigbar's stern face, which held all sorts of promises about what was going to happen to them when they got back to the castle. The Freeshooter waited patiently until Roxas was done doling out hugs and then came over and grabbed both boys firmly by the ear, making them yelp. "Alright, you two – field trip is over. You're in big trouble – Xemnas wants to see you." He dragged them both to the portal, ignoring their protests. Saïx twisted in Xigbar's grasp before the grizzled Nobody pulled them through, casting one last look to Radiant Garden.

He did not know then that the next time he returned, it would be as an enemy.

* * *

Arriving in the castle, the elder Nobody released the two troublemakers and marched them down the hallway to Xemnas' office, Roxas in his wake. On the way there, they ran into another group of Nobodies; Lexaeus was carrying a very young (and sleepy) Zexion and Vexen was striding next to them, scolding the child all the while.

"…I _told_ you to get some sleep. It's no _wonder_ you collapsed…"

When they passed the other children, Zexion gave them a small wave and a weak smile and settled back against Lexaeus' broad chest, listening to the elder scientist's rambling.

"…if you think I'll _ever_ go through any trouble for you _again_…"

Xigbar craned his neck to watch the small group disappear down the corridor. "Yup, the castle got a whole lot livelier lately!" the grizzled Nobody remarked.

Xigbar might have been secretly amused by the situation, but unfortunately Xemnas was not. The door to his office opened almost immediately when Xigbar knocked and the boys yelped when the Superior appeared in the opening and glowered down at the two culprits.

"Roxas and I have found our two escapees," Xigbar announced, completely unnecessary.

"I see that," Xemnas remarked dryly. "Alright – Saïx, stay here. I'll deal with you later. Axel, come with me." He stepped towards the red-haired boy and took him firmly by the arm. Axel struggled, looking panicky at being separated from his friend, but Xemnas firmly pushed him inside and closed the door behind them.

"Well, that's my cue," Xigbar said, shrugging. He looked down at Saïx. "I take it you don't need someone to stand guard over you?"

"Um, n-no," Saïx said, trembling. His mind was half occupied by what must be going on at the other side of the door. "I-I won't r-run off."

"Good boy." The elder Nobody ruffled his hair. "Well, good luck. Roxas, you coming?"

"N-no, if it all the same… I'll wait here for Axel," Roxas said, looking as pale and miserable as Saïx felt. "Someone's got to be there when he'll..."

He and Saïx both winced as a loud _twack_ rang out from behind the door. Xigbar raised an eyebrow. "Ouch. I don't envy you kids. Well, hang in there!" He patted Saïx on the head one last time and left. The blue-haired boy was suddenly sorry to see him go. Although he wouldn't easily admit it, he was grateful for the comfort Roxas provided as more ominous sounds started to come from Xemnas' office. Saïx suddenly found himself clinging to the older boy as he tried to block out his best friend's frantic cries. He couldn't decide what was worse: listening to his friend undergo some sort of awful punishment or knowing that very soon, he would have to suffer the same. Xemnas probably planned it that way.

Finally, the cries stopped and after a moment, the door opened and Axel appeared, crying softly and stumbling into Roxas' arms. Saïx suddenly found himself the focus of Xemnas' attention. The leader of Organisation XIII stood in the door opening with his arms crossed. "Alright, Saïx – your turn." He turned towards the other two. "Number Thirteen, you can take Number Eight back to his room."

Roxas nodded timidly and led Axel away. Before they disappeared from view, the redhead turned to look back at Saïx, his green eyes filled with tears – and remorse. "Yeah, I know," Saïx told him silently. "You got me in trouble again. Why did I ever become friends with you?" He sighed resignedly, turned and followed Xemnas into the office.

The elder Nobody was silent for a long while before turning to look at the cowering boy. "I show you the rules and you immediately proceed to break all of them," he said, his voice laced with disappointment. Saïx fidgeted uneasily. "I allowed you and Number Eight to go through with this because I trusted you to handle the responsibility. Instead you and your friend run off alone, knowing very well you're not allowed, without even letting anyone know where you are. What if you were attacked by Heartless and got hurt – or worse? I expected better of my second-in-command. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"N-no, Sir." Saïx hung his head, deeply ashamed. He could handle anger, but Xemnas' expressions of disappointment cut him like a knife. "I-I'm very sorry, Sir." His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"Come here," Xemnas ordered.

Not daring to look up, the boy shuffled over to him. As he expected, the white-haired Nobody picked him up and put him across his knees. What he _hadn't_ expected was that the Superior wouldn't just lift up the hem of his black coat, but pull down his pants and boxers as well – and pick up a switch he had lying on his desk. Saïx tensed, his mind going back to the time he had given a rejuvenated Axel the same punishment. How he regretted that now!

Much as he resolved to be strong and not break down in front of his Superior, the sharp sting of the first loud _twack_ took him by surprise and a startled cry escaped his mouth before he could stop it. He gritted his teeth and managed to keep silent during the next three blows, but after a fourth he could no longer keep back and he cried openly now, tears running unchecked down his face. After ten more, he shrieked loudly every time the switch came down on his now very painful bottom. Between the swats, he tried to keep track of how long the punishment had lasted. Surely Axel's had been over by now?

Finally, Xemnas laid a last hard _twack_ on the boy's behind and set him back on his feet. He placed a finger under the child's chin and lifted his face so he could look him in the eye. "There," he said. "I do not want to have to do that _ever_ again. Is that understood?"

Saïx nodded silently, wiping his eyes with one hand while rubbing his sore bottom with the other. He could not _believe_ how much a spanking _stung_.

"Good," Xemnas said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. "Now go to your room and think about what you've done. I don't want to see you out and about again until tomorrow."

* * *

By the time Saïx had reached his room, he had stopped crying, but his behind still hurt. He threw himself facedown on the bed, feeling frustrated and angry, mostly with himself. How did he manage to let Axel talk him into a harebrained stunt like that _again_? Just like old times indeed! He should have known better…

He was startled by a soft knock at the door. Looking up, he saw Axel sticking his head around it, smiling shyly at his friend. "Hi – can I come in?"

"What are you doing here?" Saïx jumped up and pulled him inside. "Didn't Xemnas tell you to go to your room? If you get caught, you're gonna be in trouble – again!"

Axel pulled a face. "Then he can spank me again – I don't care. I just wanted to tell you… I'm sorry. You were right, I _am_ a hell-raiser… you wouldn't have gotten punished if it wasn't for me."

Saïx _did_ have half a mind to chew his friend out, expel some of the anger he'd been feeling, but Axel was looking so remorseful and lost that he just… couldn't. "It's okay," he said, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulder. "Really, it's okay… and it's not all your fault. Superior's right, I should have known better. And I could've stopped you going to Radiant Garden – I should have. But I didn't… because I wanted to go, too. And I don't regret it."

Axel's face lit up. "Really?" he asked.

"Really. So you should stop beating yourself up over it. Okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

Later that evening, Xemnas decided to check up on his two troublemakers, to see if they'd followed his orders. He was annoyed but not entirely surprised to find Axel's room empty. "Do I have to tie him to the bed to make him stay put?" he grumbled. He strode quickly to Saïx' room, expecting it to be in the same condition. However, as he opened the door and looked inside, he was amused to find not one, but two soundly sleeping little boys lying close together in the big bed.

"Didn't I specify that they should go to their _own_ rooms?" he muttered to himself. But try as he might, he could not be angry with them. He walked over to the bed and pulled the covers over the sleeping children. He left quietly as they snuggled closer to each other, their hands clasped together in a silent vow of eternal friendship.


	7. Reign Of Terror

"Hey," said Demyx, looking around the Round Room, which was only about half full. "Where is everybody? Don't tell me I'm the only one who's on time for once!"

Saïx looked up from his notes. "Xigbar's on a mission," he said. "I sent Roxas and Xion to get some files. The Superior is late. As for Vexen…"

Right on cue, the scientist appeared through a black portal, looking rather ragged and tired. "Number Six," Saïx greeted. "How is Zexion?"

Vexen slumped in his chair, rubbing his temples. "He still hasn't reverted to being an adult and he still has the measles," he said. "Although how he got them is beyond me. He's never had them as a child – a _real_ child – he hasn't been outside the castle, and _we_ certainly don't have them. Lexaeus is with him right now."

"Alright," Saïx said, turning back to his paperwork. "I _do_ hope he'll change back soon – we're falling behind schedule. How long has it been now – three days?"

"Give or take," the scientist replied. "It might have something to do with not sleeping for two days – or maybe it's because he was already very young when he became a Nobody. It's an unexpected turn all the same. To be honest, I'm worried."

"Zexy still hasn't turned back?" Axel leaned forward in his chair, his expression curious. The young scientist had changed into a child at roughly the same time he and Saïx had, but although _they_ had reverted to their Nobody selves when the day was over, _he_ hadn't. It had puzzled all of them.

"And Xemnas is late," Xaldin mused. "That is… unusual. I wonder if something is wrong?"

Roxas and Xion appeared, carrying the files Saïx had requested, but there was no Xemnas. Larxene arrived, flustered and looking as if she came fresh out of the shower, but still no Xemnas. Finally, even Saïx became uneasy.

"Maybe someone should check…" he began, when a dark portal formed over the highest chair in the room.

All eyes turned to their Superior – and widened. Larxene let out a small gasp. Axel's mouth fell open. Demyx nearly fell out of his chair in astonishment. Because the last person they ever expected to change into a child – was him.

* * *

"Stop staring!" Xemnas snapped. But the authourative tone seemed so strange coming from the mouth of an eleven- or twelve-year-old that it sent Demyx into a fit of uncontrollable giggles, starting off Larxene and Xion as well, and Axel had trouble keeping a straight face. A sharp glance from Saïx silenced them all.

"Superior," he said, addressing the boy. "What happened?"

"That's what _I_'d like to know!" the teenager snarled. "I woke up this morning and _these_ were in my pocket!" He reached inside his coat and drew out Luxord's cursed cards, throwing them in the air. They slowly fluttered down to the ground like dead leaves and the assembled members of Organisation XIII watched their descent in stunned silence. Finally, Luxord said; "I thought those things were still in Zexion's laboratory."

"They were," Vexen confirmed. "And they still should be. But Zexion is still ill in bed and neither Lexaeus nor I thought to check… That begs the question: how did they end up in the Superior's possession?" He lifted his eyes to meet the boy's. "I don't suppose you, yourself did…"

"I most certainly did not!" Xemnas protested. "I know better than that!"

"Then who did?" Xaldin interjected. "Those cards don't wander around by themselves. _Do_ they?" he added, facing Luxord.

"Of course not!" the gambler scoffed.

"Um," Roxas said. The boy looked very nervous. "It was, uh… It was me." His every word seemed an effort and he quickly looked down at the floor as everybody looked at him.

"It was you what?" Saïx said. "Explain yourself, Number Thirteen!"

"I put the cards in Xemnas' pocket," Roxas said, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "When I bumped into him in the hallway yesterday. Um, that was kind of on purpose too," he added, as if eager to come clean on all fronts. "I just wanted to do him a favour."

"How is… _this_… doing me a favour?" the downsized Xemnas shouted, jumping up on his seat as if he was about to leap over to Roxas' chair and throttle him. "You changed me into a child on _purpose_?"

"Easy," Saïx said, raising his hand. "Um, calm down, Superior. Please," he added more respectfully, at a loss how to address his rejuvenated leader. He looked back at Roxas. "Why would you do such a thing?"

"Well," Roxas said, finding Saïx' impassive face much preferable to Xemnas' enraged one, "Axel told me that he overheard the Superior telling you that he would like to try being a child again – but he didn't dare to take a break from his duties. So I thought I'd take the decision out of his hands…"

He was interrupted by Xemnas. "I said no such thing!" the teenager yelled, outraged.

"That is true," Saïx confirmed. "I certainly would have remembered if he did."

Roxas looked at each of them in turn. "But Axel said…" he stammered. "He even told me that the cards were still in Zexion's lab and how to get them…" He suddenly fell silent as realisation dawned on him. "You set me up!" he shouted, pointing at his best friend. The fire-wielder shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Dude, you're too gullible! It was just a joke! Seriously. I never thought you'd fall for it! Or go so far…"

He looked at Xemnas and the corner of his mouth quivered. He quickly had to look away as Saïx scowled at him. "Look, I'm sorry you took be seriously, but you're on your own now, pal!"

Roxas suddenly started to realise how much trouble he was in and he looked at Xemnas in horror. "Superior… I'm sorry – really I am! I-I would never have done this if I'd known that Axel was lying, honest!"

"That's enough, Number Thirteen!" Saïx interrupted sharply, fearing they'd be there until the day after tomorrow if he didn't. "You will be dealt with later. The question is, what do we do now?"

"We do nothing," the boy Xemnas said, looking sternly around the room. "We wait 'till this wears off. Until then it's business as usual. I am _still_ your superior. _Dismissed_!"

* * *

Xemnas could be a stern taskmaster, but the members of Organisation XIII would soon learn that he was _nothing_ compared to his younger self. After just three hours of orders, demands and verbal abuse from their teenage leader, there was not a person left in the Castle That Never Was who wasn't ready to strangle the boy – and none who actually dared to do anything about it.

"Just try to bear with it," Saïx advised when Xion came to him to complain about it. "You've heard him – he's still the Superior. It's only for twenty-four hours, anyway."

"But he's making Roxas' life miserable," the girl begged, concern in her voice. "And Roxas is feeling so guilty, he'll do anything Xemnas orders him to. Don't you have a mission we can go on, just to get away from the castle?"

"Sadly, no," Saïx replied, wondering where Xemnas had hidden his stash of aspirin and whether he would miss a few pills. "The Superior has ordered everyone to stay in the castle for now. It's bad enough I have to explain Xaldin's absence to him – he left before I could stop him. I won't have any more people going AWOL. You and Roxas will just have to suffer with the rest of us."

* * *

Axel was the first to snap. He came upon Roxas, who had just left Xemnas' office, looking dejected and very, very frightened.

"He sent me to get strawberries," the blonde boy said. "He wants a milkshake and nothing else will do. _Strawberries_! Where am I supposed to find strawberries in the middle of winter? And he threatened to turn me into a Dusk if I don't return with them!"

Axel looked down on his small friend and he felt a surge of anger. "That little twit – who does he think he is? He might be our superior when he's all grown up – but right now, he's nothing more than an insufferable little brat! I've half a mind to straighten him out!"

"Oh, don't!" Roxas pleaded. "Really, don't! He's… _scary_, right now. You don't know _what_ he'll do to you! I truly believed him when he said he'd turn me into a Dusk!"

Roxas genuinely looked terrified. Axel started to wonder what it was about their child leader that made him such a terror to anyone.

"Alright, I won't," he said. "But if you'll take my advice – well, he sent you to find strawberries. Go to some world – any world – and stay there until tomorrow. I'm sure when Xemnas is back in his right mind, he won't hold it against you. Oh, and take Xion with you, just in case. I'll clear it with Saïx."

Roxas nodded and left. Axel waited to be sure he was gone and then turned and strode towards Xemnas' office. He was angry enough to spit fire now and he hadn't intended even for a moment to keep his promise to Roxas. One way or another, he intended to make the little bastard pay for terrorising his friend.

He walked into the room without knocking. Xemnas was sitting at his desk with his chin propped up on his fists, a bored expression on his face – which quickly changed to anger when Axel came in. "What are you doing here?" the teenager demanded. "I didn't send for you. Don't you know how to knock?"

"Lay off Roxas," Axel said, ignoring his downsized Superior's words. He walked up to the desk and placed his hands on it, leaning forward. "I mean it. Leave him alone. I know you blame him for changing you into a child, but he doesn't deserve this. You're scaring the living daylights out of him. If you want to blame someone, blame me, not him."

"What?" The adolescent blinked at him.

"You heard me. Leave. Him. Alone."

Xemnas' brow knitted together in anger. "Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" he yelled in sudden fury. "I'm your superior! I'm the boss around here! And you better do as I say, or… or… or else!"

Axel folded his arms and scowled at the child throwing a tantrum right in front of him. "Or else _what_?" he inquired.

He never knew what hit him. The next thing he knew, he was hanging suspended in the air, screaming in agony, while Xemnas was standing at his desk, his hand stretched out towards the fire-wielder, who was caught in his leader's power. Axel slowly felt the life being drained out of him, and it _hurt. _He wondered fleetingly if this was the end, if the child really _was_ going to kill him… and just how he was going to feel about it in the morning. "Shoulda listened to Roxas…" he thought.

All of a sudden, Xemnas stopped. He lowered his hand and Axel dropped to the floor in a heap. The child glowered at him.

"Let that be a lesson to you," he said, looking down at the redhead with undisguised disdain on his face. "No one defies me. _No one_."

* * *

Such was the situation that Xigbar found when he returned from his mission. On his way to file his report at Xemnas' office, he was surprised to come upon a ghostly figure in pyjamas wandering the hallways.

"Hey there, Ienzo!" he greeted the child, picking him up and lifting him high about his head. "What are you doing out of bed?" He looked at the boy critically. "Choo choo pyjamas?"

"Lexaeus got them for me," the child said solemnly. He coughed, rubbing his red eyes sleepily. "He said he tried to find some that had little chemistry sets on them but he couldn't, so locomotives would have to do."

"Right," Xigbar said, an amused grin creeping onto his face. He cradled the small boy in his arms and tweaked his nose. "And what are you doing roaming the corridors in your choo choo P.J's? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"Xemnas called for me," Zexion said very seriously. "I think he needs to have something made in the lab. I'm heading over there now."

"Xemnas?" Xigbar echoed, the smile leaving his face. "Doesn't he know you're ill?"

"I think so," the child said slowly. "Maybe he forgot when he got rejuvenated. Anyway, he threatened to have me erased if I didn't hurry, so I'd better go." He began to squirm in Xigbar's arms, but the elder Nobody refused to release him. "Rejuvenated? Oh, I see. And he did, didn't he? Erasure? We'll see about that. And you're not going anywhere," he told the child, "except back to bed." He put his hand on Zexion's forehead. "Your fever's gone back up. Where's Vexen? Seriously," he grumbled, striding off to Zexion's bedroom. "What is Xemnas thinking?"

* * *

"Oh, thank goodness you found him!" Vexen said as he and Lexaeus ran into Xigbar in the hallway in front of Zexion's door. "When I found his room empty, I did not know _what_ to think. Young man, what do you think you were doing out of bed?" he said sternly to the young boy. The child looked up at him with large eyes but made no reply. "Not his idea, apparently," Xigbar answered in his place. "What's this about Xemnas being rejuvenated?"

Vexen's expression darkened as Lexaeus took Zexion from Xigbar's arms and carried him into the room. "Don't get me started! He showed up as a teenager at the meeting this morning and has been terrorising the Organisation ever since. And since he's made it clear he's still in charge, child or no, nobody dares to stand up to him."

"Right," Xigbar said, scowling. "But how did it happen? I can't see the Superior happily changing himself into a kid."

Vexen snorted humourlessly. "Roxas. Apparently he thought he was doing him a favour – something to do with something Axel said." He shook his head. "That boy's too stupid for words sometimes. Well, he's paying for it now. Xemnas won't let him have a moment's piece."

"And Roxas didn't change as well? How did he get the cards to Xemnas?"

"That's anybody's guess," Vexen replied. "I'm mystified by it as well. He said he slipped them in Xemnas' pocket, so he must have touched them and carried them on his person. Maybe the intention of whoever handles the cards have something to do with their effect – or lack of it – I don't know. The only one who _might_ be able to tell us is Zexion, but…"

Both Nobodies turned to look at the small child, who had been tucked back into bed by Lexaeus and was now looking at them with dull, feverish eyes. He looked too ill to think clearly, let alone tell them anything.

"Oh – that reminds me!" Xigbar said, walking over to the bed and crouching down next to it. "I brought you something. Hang on…" He pulled something out of his pocket and gave it to Zexion, who held it up suspiciously. "What is this?"

The elder Nobody stared at him in disbelief. "Are you kidding? It's a teddy-bear… well, more like a Moogle, really – but same dif. You don't know what a teddy-bear is?" He shot a glance at Vexen, who was trying hard to suppress a smile. "Who's responsible for this child's upbringing?"

"That would be Ansem. You want to take it up with _him_?"

"It's soft," Zexion said dreamily, hugging the stuffed Moogle and settling more comfortably in the blankets. He yawned and added sleepily: "I like it… thanks Braig…" His voice drifted off and his eyes fell closed. Xigbar grinned down at the child, who was already on his way to Slumberland. "Hey, don't mention it, little guy. Wait – what did you call me?" He turned to Vexen. "What did he call me? Did he just call me _Braig_?!"

Vexen and Lexaeus exchanged a glance. "We know," the elder scientist said. "He's been calling us Even and Aeleus all day. I'm concerned about it. It's like he becomes more Ienzo and less Zexion the longer he's staying in this child's form. Last night he was asking for Ansem. It took us quite a while to settle him down. He really wanted to see him."

Xigbar stared. "He doesn't remember?"

"Apparently not and that worries me. What if the effect is permanent? What if he stays a child forever – or changes back into an adult without regaining his memories?"

Xigbar gave Vexen a quick look. "Sounds to me that, in that case, he's got a chance at redemption that the rest of us will never have. It's not all bad, see."

He jumped to his feet. "Well, that will be _your_ concern. Meanwhile, seems that _I_'ve got to deal with a brat with an attitude problem. See ya."

"Good luck," Vexen muttered sarcastically.

* * *

Xigbar ran into Demyx and Luxord on his way to Xemnas' office and stopped for a moment to talk to them. Normally the most playful and carefree of Nobodies, the pair now looked harried and aggravated. Even Demyx seemed ready to explode with suppressed anger.

"He forbade me to play my Sitar in the Grey Area!" the young musician complained. "He said if he'd hear me play it at _all_, he'd toss me through a portal without it. What am I to do? If I can't have music I'd just _die_!"

"It seems he goes out of his way to make things as difficult as possible for all of us," Luxord nodded. "That's the moodiest teenager I've ever seen in my life."

"So I've heard," Xigbar said grimly. "I'm on my way to take him to task about it. Superior or no, there's no reason any of us should have to put up with that kind of behaviour."

"Whoa," Demyx said, looking at the elder Nobody with undisguised admiration. "You're very brave. Gotta warn you though – he's not like any of _us_ when we were kids. He seems… out of control, somehow. The bad way. He'll go Darth Vader on you if you're not careful! Have you heard what happened to Axel?"

The two quickly filled him in about the fire-wielder's near brush with death. "Up until now, I thought the kid's threatening to turn us into Dusks or erase us if we didn't do as told was just that – idle threats," Luxord said, looking worried. "But this is no joke. Axel was just inches away from losing his life. It's like Xemnas is just _waiting_ for one of us to slip up so he can destroy that person. He seems bent on a road of destruction. Heck, _I_'m afraid of him right now."

Xigbar rubbed his temple. What the others were telling him worried him. "Xemnas is not like the rest of us," he said slowly, thinking out loud. "He was already mixed up to begin with, before turning into a Nobody. Maybe changing into a kid somehow brought those inner conflicts to the surface. The rest of you had childhood memories to draw upon – but the Superior doesn't have _any_ memories up to the point we found Xehanort lying on our doorstep. I have no idea what kind of child that would make…"

"An angry one," Luxord said.

"_And_ he's a teenager," Demyx added. "Did you know he told Larxene to dance for him? I thought she would spontaneously self-combust on the spot."

"It's a good thing Marluxia was there to restrain her," Luxord said. "She was ready to tear him to pieces. And I shudder to think what he would have done to _her_."

"Little Xemnas hasn't exactly been making friends then," Xigbar said. "All the better. If everything I've heard is true, I might need all the support I can. Or at least nobody getting in my way."

* * *

Xemnas was alone in his room, carving something in his desk with a knife, when suddenly the door got kicked open. His eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as Xigbar strode in, guns out and pointed straight at him. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm putting an end to your reign of terror, that's what," the Freeshooter replied, his voice low. "Don't move. I'll shoot you if you do – don't think I won't."

"How dare you?!" the boy shrieked, but the elder Nobody noted that he stood frozen on the spot and a nervous look began to creep on his face. Good. He didn't know what he'd done had the child called his bluff.

"What do you think you're up to?" Xigbar asked, his voice calm, but stern, as if talking to a naughty child – which, he reflected, he was. A naughty, recalcitrant, _dangerous_ child. "Do you want to bring the entire Organisation XIII down around our ears? What about our goals? Kingdom Hearts, remember?"

Xemnas looked up at him, but the look of arrogance that had been on his face had been replaced by one of sullen defiance. Good, Xigbar thought. The boy was less sure of himself now; the elder Nobody's bold entrance had completely destroyed the confidence in his superiority the child had felt up until then. The balance of power had shifted in favour of the Freeshooter and the teenager was starting to feel uncertain. "Y-you don't tell me what to do. What right do you have to question my actions?" Xemnas stammered.

"Children must listen to their elders and obey them without question _regardless of rank or seniority_," Xigbar intoned, looking the boy in the eye, unflinching, unafraid – until it was Xemnas who looked away. "Remember? You were the one who came up with those rules. Care to quote the last sentence?"

"Y-you can't do that!" the child protested, remembering very well the line mentioning punishment. "I'm the Superior! I'm in charge here! Those rules don't apply to me!"

"No?" Xigbar said, taking a step closer. "Then can you explain to me exactly what "regardless of rank or seniority" _means_?"

He did not give the boy time to reply or to act. Quick as lightning, he jumped p and over the desk, dropping his gun and grabbing the teenager in one fluent motion, pinning his arms on his back and drawing him over his lap.

"W-what are you doing?" Xemnas cried, kicking wildly as Xigbar lifted up his black cloak and pulled the belt from the loops of his pants. "Let me go!"

"I don't think so," the elder Nobody replied. "I'm going to knock some sense into you – until you're ready to act like a reasonable human being. You'll that me for it later – like, say, when you change back into an adult tomorrow and find you _aren_'t ruling over an Organisation of One." He flipped the belt into a loop with one hand and brought it down hard on the seat of Xemnas' pants, drawing a scream from the boy. The teenager hissed through his teeth. "Bastard! Let me go!"

"Not until I get a different attitude from you." _Crack._

"Oww!" Xemnas yelled loudly. "I'm gonna get you for this!"

"_Wrong_ attitude," Xigbar said. He brought down the belt again, harder this time. "Want to try again? I can keep this up all day." _Crack!_

"Ahh!" the youth screamed loudly. "Alright, alright! I'll behave! Just stop!"

Xigbar was tempted to continue the punishment a little while longer, to make sure the boy learned his lesson, but he realised he was already walking a thing line as it was. The Superior was going to remember this when he changed back into an adult later on and Xigbar realised he would be facing consequences. It would be worth it though.

He put the boy back on his feet, but he did not yet give him the belt back. Let him worry. It wouldn't hurt to keep some measure of control over him, a little reminder of what the consequences of misbehaviour were. He rolled up the belt, put it in his pocket and placed his hands firmly on the boy's shoulders. "Want to tell me what's eating you now?"

He'd expected more defiance, anger, aggression, but he was startled to see the teenager look up at him with tears in his yellow eyes. "I-I don't know." The child started shaking.

"You don't know why you've been acting like an absolute terror all day?" Xigbar demanded.

The boy shook his head. The elder Nobody felt at a loss. He tried to remember how _he_ had felt as a teenager. Irrational, hormone-driven, sure, but… lost? He didn't feel ready to deal with the overwhelming teenage angst he felt radiating from this odd child.

Xemnas suddenly started talking, words tumbling out of his mouth like water, as if he couldn't stop them. "I-I just felt so _angry_… frustrated! And I didn't know what to do with myself, how I could stop it. I could only… _feel_ and I made things difficult for everyone and I'm sorry, but I – I just felt so empty and so _scared_!"

Xigbar shook his head, feeling suddenly sorry for the child. "Lashing out at other people isn't going to fill up that hole you feel, you know," he said. "It's only going to make things worse, in the end."

"I-I didn't know what else to do," Xemnas said, biting his lip. "I – I guess I wasn't thinking."

Xigbar looked hard at him, willing himself to see past the image of his diminutive Superior and found a frightened, lonely little boy underneath. "So," he said. "Feeling too superior for a hug?"

The child looked up at him, surprised. Xigbar wasn't waiting for him to make a reply, but drew him into his arms instead. He felt the teenager tense for a moment, and relax in his embrace. The boy's shoulders shook and after a moment, Xigbar realised the child was crying. "There, now," he said, stroking the white hair. "It's gonna be alright." He gently pushed the boy away from him, holding him at arms' length. "What say you we sneak out for a bit and have some fun? It'll fix those empty feelings of yours right up!"

Xemnas looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "We can do that?" he asked.

Xigbar gave him a mischievous grin, his one eye twinkling. "Hey, you're the Superior, aren't you? You can do anything you like!"

* * *

The two Nobodies sat on top of the clock tower in Twilight Town later that day, watching the eternally setting sun turn the sky into amber. They both sat leaned back, eating sea-salt ice cream.

"Should have done this a whole lot earlier," Xigbar said. "Axel goes here with Roxas. He's right… it's the best way to unwind after a hard day's work you can imagine."

"Oh, so that's what they were doing whenever they were back late from a mission," Xemnas said, licking at his ice cream. "I wondered about that."

The elder Nobody shot him a glance. "Don't hold it against them. After what you've put them through today, they deserve to be cut some slack."

Xemnas nodded thoughtfully. "I still have to chew them out though. None of this would've happened if it hadn't been for those two."

He sounded more and more like an adult, the more the day progressed. Xigbar looked at him sharply, wondering if he was already reverting back to his original nobody self, but the Organisation leader did not show any signs of growing either bigger or older and the next look he gave Xigbar was all child, worried and wide-eyed. "What are you going to tell the others? About…"

"Taking you over my knee and punishing you like the little brat you were?" Xigbar grinned at him. "I'm not gonna tell them anything. As far as they're concerned, we just had a little talk and went for ice cream. I don't think it'll do a lot of good for the respect some of the younger members would have for you if they'd known you'd been spanked. If they ask, I'll deny everything."

The boy sighed in relief. "Thanks."

* * *

Next morning's meeting was an awkward affair. Roxas, Xion and Xaldin had come back early that day and most of the members were collected in the Round Room. No one dared to discuss the previous day, although uneasy glances were exchanged when Vexen announced that Ienzo was still in bed with a fever and cast a sharp glance at Xemnas when he said it. The Organisation's leader did not visibly react to that, although he did exempt Vexen and Lexaeus from all tasks and missions to take care of the child, before moving on to other matters. Finally, when the meeting drew to a close, he coughed and said: "There is one more thing I wish to say. Concerning my behaviour yesterday…" The others exchanged more quick, nervous looks. "I apologise." There was a stunned silence. "And that's the last we'll say about it," Xemnas finished firmly, "except for one thing. Roxas, I wish to see you in my office. Now." He vanished in a swirling portal of black smoke. Roxas, who had looked nervous all meeting, now looked positively panicky. Axel was seething.

"Hasn't he tortured you enough already yesterday?" the redhead fumed. "Don't worry, Rox… I'll come with you. He shan't harm you, I swear!"

"Axel… I see smoke coming out of your ears!" Xion said.

The flame-wielder turned on her. "This is no time to be joking!"

"No, I mean it! I really see smoke!"

The next thing Axel knew, he was drenched by a gallon of water being dumped on his head. He turned to Demyx. "Why'd you do that?!"

"Because," the blonde Nobody said, "you really _were_ smoking."

* * *

Axel leaned against the wall next to the door to Xemnas's office, trying desperately to hear what was going on inside and failing. At least that was a good sign, he reflected; they were just talking. He sighed. He'd been going over the events that led up to Xemnas' rejuvenation and felt guilty about his part in it. He was starting to realise that it _had_ been his fault; he should never have pushed Roxas to slip the cards into Xemnas' pocket. But when he'd accompanied Roxas to meet with Xemnas, their superior had brusquely told him to wait outside, not wanting to hear either his excuses, or his attempts to take the blame. Now his best friend was probably being punished and he could do _nothing_.

The hall began to smell suspiciously of smoke.

Finally the door opened and Roxas emerged. Axel jumped up, relieved to see his friend appear pale and subdued, but apparently unharmed. "Rox! Are you okay?"

The blonde boy nodded. "Yeah… he just gave me a lecture. A, uh, rather long one."

Axel let out a sigh of relief. "Look, man, I'm sorry. About yesterday, you know. If I hadn't pulled that stupid prank on you…"

"It's okay," Roxas said, giving his best friend a look that told him he'd already forgiven him. "It _was_ kinda stupid of me to fall for it, anyway. Oh, but Xemnas told me to say that you're next, by the way…" If the boy felt slightly vindictive when he said that, it didn't show.

"What?" Axel looked stunned. He felt a jolt as the door suddenly opened again and Xemnas appeared. "Axel," he said in a commanding voice. The redhead gulped and went inside.

* * *

Facing the Superior, Axel very much felt like the small boy he'd been not four days ago, standing in that very room, for much the same reason. Apparently, the same thing was going through Xemnas' mind, because he looked rather severely at the redhead, just as he had then, and said: "I should give you a spanking. You really deserve one."

"What?" Axel started, raising his head with a jerk. "You didn't give one to Roxas!"

"_Roxas_," said Xemnas, with a stern face, "was acting with the best intentions, however stupid and ill-guided they may have been. I believe that. _You_, however…" He lowered his voice menacely. "That was a mean trick you played on him – and consequently, on me. _And_ a dangerous one, as you've learned to your peril. I'm starting to thing that perhaps I should have finished what I started yesterday. You deserve it."

Axel shifted his feet, feeling ill at ease. "Yes, Superior." He lifted his face looking Xemnas straight in the eye. "Just one thing. Leave Roxas out of it. It's not his fault. I take all the blame."

"And that," Xemnas said with a sigh, "is why I am willing to let it go – this once. Just don't. EVER. Pull a stunt like that again. And I'm holding you responsible for Roxas' behaviour too. He doesn't need encouragement to get in trouble. _Dis_missed!"

"Yes, Sir!" Axel didn't waste any time getting out of the office. Outside, he clapped Roxas on the shoulder and said loudly: "Looks like we're on probation! How about some ice cream to celebrate?"

Inside of the office, Xemnas couldn't resist a smile. The redhead probably didn't realise the Superior could hear him right through the walls.

* * *

Xemnas had just gotten started on the paperwork that had been left lying the previous day when he was disturbed by a knock at the door. "Come in," he called. "Saïx, I really need those…"

"Sorry, Boss," Xigbar said, sticking his head around the door. "No Saïx here – just me."

"Xigbar," Xemnas said, his voice carefully neutral. "Come in and close the door."

The Freeshooter did as he was bidden, moving into the room to stand before Xemnas' desk. "I've come to return something of yours," he said, putting Xemnas' belt on the table. "And, uh, my apologies."

"No – you were right," Xemnas said. "I am aware that people's loyalties are strained enough as it is. If things had been allowed to continue as they did, it might have ended with half the members dead and the other half defected. You were correct to step in when you did. I am only sorry that I let things go that far. I truly don't understand what came over me." His eyes had wandered over his desk while he was talking, but he suddenly looked straight at Xigbar. "And that," he said, "is why I don't want it mentioned ever again. Any of it. Is that understood?"

"Loud and clear," the gunman replied, grinning. "I'm already keeping all your dirty secrets. One more couldn't hurt."

"Right," Xemnas said sarcastically. "I knew I can count on you."

After Xigbar had left, Xemnas looked back at his desk. He moved a few errant papers out of the way and frowned.

"Why on earth did I carve "Terra" into my desk?" he wondered.


	8. In The Name Of Science

"Xaldin's already dispatched to Beast's Castle," Saïx read from his notes. "Luxord – you're assigned to a mission in Wonderland. Xion and Roxas – you're to go to Halloween Town, but that will be your last mission together for the time being – we're behind schedule as it is, after the _events that shall not be mentioned_." The various members collected in the Grey Area exchanged swift glances at the slight reference to the day their leader got rejuvenated. It had left an uncomfortable feeling with all the Nobodies and they dared not mention it openly, only occasionally alluding to it as Saïx had done. "Right," the second-in-command continued. "Axel and Demyx are late – _as usual_. Zexion is, to my knowledge, still a child, so he is exempted from missions. As to his illness, I shall inquire about that later…"

"Oh, he's feeling much better," came a voice from the door. "But…"

Everybody looked at the blonde teenager standing in the doorway. The boy leaned against the doorpost and swept his long hair from his face. He crossed his arms and glared back.

"_Vexen_?" Xigbar exploded, trying hard to keep the surprise from showing on his face. "You're the _last_ person I'd expect to succumb to the curse."

Saïx turned his eyes to Luxord. "I thought you said you'd keep the cards safe," he said, a not-so-subtle hint of reproach in his voice.

"I did!" the gambler protested. "They were all still there when I checked this morning. Whatever caused this, it's not the cards!"

"I've already reached the same conclusion," Vexen said. He looked older than any of the others had after being downsized; close to Roxas' and Xion's age, although he was taller than the two youngest members by about a head. He sighed. "It seems what we feared has come to pass; the curse has become contagious."

"What about Lexaeus?" Roxas asked, concerned.

"Oh, _he_'s fine – big and hulking as ever," the scientist retorted. "He didn't spend as much time in Ienzo's vicinity as I did, after all."

"Well, that's it," Saïx said with a sigh, snapping his folder shut. "Missions for today are cancelled - _again_. Vexen, come with me – we'd better go inform the Superior. Who's with Zexion?"

"Lexaeus," Vexen replied. "He said he'd take his chances. Let's hope he'll be okay."

Saïx shot him a glance. "Don't jinx it."

* * *

"I'm _fine_," Zexion protested. "Really, Aeleus!" He grabbed the big man's hand and pressed it on his own forehead. "See, no more fever! My measles are all gone, too! Can I _please_ get up now? I don't want to stay in bed anymore." His small, thing face gained a look of cunning. "And how can I regain my strength if you don't let me get _up_?"

"Very well," Lexaeus said, still looking dubious. "You can get up and get dressed. But don't overexert yourself. You're still weak."

The child let out a happy squeal and jumped out of bed. He wobbled on unsteady legs for a moment, but he quickly regained his balance and grinned up at his large friend, waving his arms. "See?"

Lexaeus grunted noncommittally, but allowed Zexion to dress himself in his black clothes and Organisation coat. He had to admit that the child did look recovered. Still, he hovered over him watchfully, not prepared to let him go out of his sight yet.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. It was a test. During his illness, the child had steadfastly refused all offerings of food; even the adult Zexion was a fussy eater at best. But now the boy looked up at him with the eager face of one who hadn't had a substantial meal for days. "Can I have pancakes?" he asked hopefully.

"Sure, if you want."

"And ice cream!" the child cried happily, grabbing Lexaeus' hand and pulling him along. "I would like some sea-salt ice cream. And waffles. And…"

Lexaeus smiled. His little friend had never been the most talkative kind, but now he chatted as if he had to catch up with everything he hadn't been able to say during his illness.

Yes, it did seem the child had made a full recovery.

* * *

Xemnas sighed deeply when Saïx entered his office with the teenage Vexen in tow. "Will we _never_ be rid of this idiocy?" he muttered, sliding open the drawer of his desk and taking out the aspirin bottle. He had a feeling he would be needing it sooner or later. "So the wicked cards strike again?"

"I'm afraid it's worse than that, Sir," Saïx said, looking him straight in the eye. "Apparently Vexen's transformation happened _without_ any contact with or proximity to the cards."

There was a loud clatter as the aspirin fell from Xemnas' nerveless fingers and fell on the floor, rolling a bit before bumping into his foot. The Superior didn't even bother to pick it up. He stared at Saïx and Vexen in turn. "What?!"

"It seems the curse has… mutated somehow and is no longer relying on the cards for its effect," Vexen filled him in. "I suspect that my close and prolonged proximity to Ienzo during his illness may have resulted in my current condition, although I am unsure about the specific method of transfer. Perhaps his measles may have something to do with it. The curse might have hitchhiked on the mechanics of the contagious disease. Further examination –"

Xemnas raised his hand. "Wait, you're saying that the curse has now become a _virus_?"

"I'm not sure yet," the teenager replied. "I may have to do some research… experiments perhaps, to determine the exact cause. But current data would suggest…"

"No," Xemnas said. "You may do research, but no experiments. Not until you change back. We can't risk any more contagions or other unexpected developments."

Vexen looked up with a jerk, a rebellious look creeping into his eyes. "But, Sir-"

"No. Discussion over," Xemnas said firmly. He ignored any further protests from the boy and looked at Saïx. "I take it you have cancelled all scheduled missions?"

"Yes, Superior," his second said. "Xaldin already left, but I kept the rest in. However, I think it might be prudent to keep them away from…" His gaze travelled to Vexen, who scowled. "From the children."

"But who will look after them?" his leader said. "After all, the Rules…"

"With all due respect, Sir," Vexen said, drawing himself up to his full height. "I'm, like, fifteen. I'm older than Roxas and Xion. I can look after myself. And I can take care of Ienzo as well. It would solve your problems," he added, "and you won't have to worry about anyone else being affected. We'll stay down in the lab and cause no trouble for anyone."

Xemnas sighed resignedly. "Very well, Number Four. But the rest of the Rules still apply."

"Yes Sir," the teenager nodded and left the room.

* * *

Vexen found Lexaeus and Zexion in the kitchen. The small child had jam and syrup smeared all over his face and he smiled up at the teenager with a happy face. "Hi, Even!"

"Hi," Vexen replied. "You missed a spot."

Zexion wiped at his face, but he did it with dirty hands and only succeeded in adding to the mess. Lexaeus sighed and picked up a wet rag, cleaning the child's face with it. "Wash your hands," the big man commanded after he was done.

"I'll look after Ienzo today, Lexaeus," Vexen told him. "Xemnas said it was okay. I'm old enough. And we don't want to risk you changing into a child as well."

"I don't mind," the large Nobody said, his eyes on Zexion as the child balanced precariously on a stepladder to reach the faucet. "I'll take the risk."

"No really – I'll handle it," Vexen said, looking intently at his friend. "Why take changes?"

Lexaeus locked eyes with the teenager, staring at him for a full thirty seconds before nodding. "Very well. Make sure he doesn't overexert himself – he's still recovering. Have him in bed by eight. And don't get him in trouble – alright?"

Vexen passed his hand over his chest. "You can count on me. Cross my heart and hope to die."

"Sure," Lexaeus grunted.

* * *

Later that day, Roxas nearly tripped over Vexen and Zexion as they came in from outside. He halted and frowned at them. "Are you allowed to go outside?" he asked.

Both boys froze as they saw him and exchanged a guilty look. Zexion let go of the bag he'd been dragging along and stood in front of it, trying to hide it from view. It was a useless effort, as the bag was almost bigger than he was and Roxas had already seen it anyway. Vexen was carrying a similar bag over his shoulder. When he looked at it, Roxas thought he could see it move. "What's in there?" he asked.

"Nothing!" Zexion said promptly, a little too quickly. Vexen kicked at him. The child sprang back, tripping over the bag, and went sprawling. The sack tipped over and a Shadow Heartless tumbled out. It looked dazed for a moment and then started to wander off. Roxas stared at it. "You're bringing _Heartless_ into the _castle_?" he asked.

"Quick, grab it!" Vexen yelled at Zexion. His little accomplice obeyed, running after the Shadow, grabbing it and stuffing it back in the sack. Judging from the squirming bulges in the fabric, it wasn't the only one in there.

Vexen sighed in relief. He looked at Roxas defiantly. "It's for research," he said.

"I thought you weren't allowed to do experiments today," the other teen said, puzzled.

Vexen sighed. News sure travelled fast in the Castle That Never Was. "It's not experimentation, it's, uh-"

"Observation," Zexion supplied helpfully.

"Right, observation," Vexen repeated. He glowered at Roxas. "Even so, I don't want anyone to interfere with it. So don't tell any of the adults about it, okay? Remember," he added, struck with sudden inspiration, "I might have been rejuvenated, but I'm still older than you and I outrank you. So you'd better do as I say. Understand?"

Frost began to form on his hair and coat and Roxas actually looked a little intimidated. "A-alright," he stammered.

* * *

Roxas kept his word; he did not tell any of the adults. But he told Xion, and Xion told Axel, who told Demyx, who told Larxene, who told Marluxia, who told Luxord, who told Lexaeus. And Lexaeus… was pissed.

Xigbar ran into him about half an hour later. The large Nobody was striding firmly through the hallway, carrying a squirming Zexion under one arm and dragging a struggling, protesting Vexen along by the ear with his free hand. The Freeshooter looked at the odd procession with amusement, one eyebrow raised.

"I caught them trying to make replicas of themselves," the burly Nobody told him by way of explanation.

"The more, the merrier, eh?" Xigbar quipped, but he quickly clamped his mouth shut when Lexaeus glared at him. "Right," he said, sidling around him. "I won't get in your way then. Be seeing you. Bye!" He fled.

Lexaeus took the boys into an empty room, put them down and closed the door, locking it behind him. He turned to scowl at the two culprits quavering before his angry glare. Zexion clung to Vexen, burying his face in his friend's cloak. The teenager put one arm around the little boy's shoulders, looking up defiantly at the big Nobody. "We were just–" he started.

"I don't want to hear it," Lexaeus said brusquely, cutting him short. "I think it's very clear what you were doing. Weren't you told by Xemnas not to do any experiments?"

"Yes, but-"

"And bringing Heartless into the castle," Lexaeus continued. "You know very well you're not allowed to go outside. And taking Ienzo with you. What were you _thinking_?"

"Oh!" Ienzo said suddenly, looking up with a start. "The Heartless are still…"

Vexen stepped on his foot and threw him a quick glance. The boy yelped and fell silent.

"We did it in the name of science," the teenager said, lifting his chin and glaring at the big Nobody. "Think of the things we could learn! With replicas of ourselves, we can examine the curse from all angles. And-"

"Contaminate every Nobody in the castle with copies of yourselves running about?" Lexaeus snapped. "Did you ever think of the risk to the rest of us? We could all have been changed into children by tomorrow, and _then_ what would be left of the Organisation – ever think of that?"

"In the controlled circumstances of the lab-"

"You think any replicas of yourself would be content to stay put in the lab?" Lexaeus asked sharply, looking sternly at the boys. "Would _you_?"

Vexen bit his lip and looked away.

"Right," the big Nobody said. "As for your punishment…"

"You can't punish me!" Vexen said, pulling Ienzo closer. "I outrank you!"

Lexaeus frowned. "You would prefer that I hand you over to Xemnas?"

"No, but…" The teenager's eyes darted frantically around the room, looking for an escape. But Lexaeus had taken the key out of the lock and the door was the only way out. "It's not fair…"

Lexaeus ignored him. "Ienzo, you first," he commanded.

The child had been listening quietly to the exchange between his two friends. He swallowed hard and Vexen could feel the grip on his cloak tighten before the boy sighed deeply and let go, walking slowly up to Lexaeus. The giant Nobody picked him up and tucked him firmly under one arm, bottom turned upward. Vexen looked away when Lexaeus started spanking the small child, but he could not close his ears to the loud smacks and Zexion's small yelps of pain. The teenager winched in sympathy with every swat. He knew how strong their big friend was and he could only imagine how the heavy blows must smart, even through the coat. But he knew he would find out for himself soon enough.

After some twenty swats, Lexaeus put Zexion back on his feet. The boy had stayed mostly quiet during the ordeal, but now he was sniffling and two traitorous tears sneaked out of his eyes and ran down his face. He rubbed at them furiously.

Lexaeus patted him on the head and gently shoved him towards one of the empty corners of the room. "Go stand there with your face to the wall," he told the child. "Vexen…"

"N-no!" the teenager protested. "I won't let you do this!'

His big friend sighed wearily. Ienzo took _his_ punishment," he chided. "Do you think it's fair if I punished him and not you?"

Vexen realised he was trapped. "Damn you…" he muttered under his breath. Yet he did not resist when Lexeaus walked over and wrapped his muscular arm around the teenager's waist, lifting him off his feet.

Vexen cried out loudly when his friend's heavy hand came down hard on his bottom. It stung fiercely even through three layers of clothing. The boy had little time to catch his breath when it came down a second time. Little Zexion had been quiet throughout his punishment, refusing to let anyone see him cry, but Vexen had no such qualms; he screamed loudly every time Lexaeus' hand came down and cursed him between smacks. It did him little good; every time uttered a swearword, the big Nobody only hit him harder.

"Enough already!" Vexen cried when Lexaeus paused to adjust his grip. "You didn't spank _Ienzo_ this long!" He wiped at the tears that streamed down his face, annoyed. He hadn't meant to cry.

"That's because Ienzo's just a little boy," Lexaeus said, frowning back at him. "_You_'re old enough that you should have known better. And where did you learn to swear like that? Don't make me have to wash your mouth out with soap, too!"

"Don't you dare!" Vexen growled, but he was silent during the rest of the punishment. Lexaeus only hit him a few more times before setting him down and pushing him towards the corner opposite Zexion's.

"You stand there, both of you, and think about what you've done," the big Nobody commanded. "Meanwhile, I'll go-"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Frowning, he took the key out of his pocket and inserted it in the lock, turning it. Xigbar opened the door and looked in. His one eye glanced over the corners in the room where Vexen and Zexion squirmed, casting furtive looks over their shoulders to see who had knocked, and came to rest on Lexaeus.

"Was the basement lab where they conducted their experiments?" the Freeshooter asked.

"Yes, why?"

"Because I think the Heartless they smuggled into the castle got into the replica machines. The place is crawling with them!"

"What?!" Lexaeus glared back at the two boys, who hurriedly faced the walls again. "You two, stay there!" He left quickly with Xigbar, not even thinking to lock the door behind him.

* * *

Vexen waited a full five minutes before running over to the door, opening it and checking the hallway.

"What are you doing?" Zexion said, shambling over to his side, rubbing his eyes. They were red; he must have been crying silently, Vexen noted. "Aeleus told us to stay put."

"And since when am I bound to listen to him?" the teenager sniffed. "Besides, it's _our_ mess. We brought the Heartless into the castle. And Lexaeus doesn't know how to turn the machines off."

"But if he catches us…" Zexion said, his blue eyes big and worried.

"Well, we have to make sure he _doesn't _catch us then, won't we?" the older boy said. A Shadow Heartless wandered by and he quickly froze it with his ice magic and dispatched it. "Come on, let's go!" He grabbed the smaller boy's hand and together they ran through the corridors leading to the basement lab. They had to duck into alcoves or take a detour at places to avoid being seen by other Nobodies, but fortunately for them, everybody was too busy chasing Heartless and dispatching them to pay any attention to the two boys who'd started all the trouble. They reached the laboratory without mishap.

Vexen winched when he saw the scores of small Shadow Heartless climbing over the shelves and tables, throwing over vials and bottles, spoiling experiments and generally making a mess of the place. In the back of the lab, the replica machines hummed gently, more Heartless spilling out. It was obvious it could not handle the strain of creating so many replicas for much longer. Already smoke started drifting out of the back.

"Quick!" the teenager told the younger boy. "I'll keep them off your back; you shut down the machines!"

Zexion nodded and made his way to the back of the lab, jumping and ducking to avoid being assaulted by the Heartless. Vexen quickly froze any that posed a direct threat to the boy and by the time the child reached the replica machines and went through the complicated process of shutting them down, the room was filled with icy Shadow statues. Vexen watched his handiwork with no small satisfaction.

The machines shivered, sputtered and finally collapsed in a state of abrupt silence as the replication process came to a halt. Vexen sighed in relief as he dispatched the last of the Heartless and no new ones appeared. Zexion looked back at him, his eyes wide and innocent.

"Guess we shouldn't have used Shadows as a base for our replicas, huh?"

* * *

In the meantime, all other members of Organisation XIII had caught on to the seriousness of the problem and were all involved in chasing the little Heartless and getting rid of them; no mean feat, as they would soon find out.

"Just how many of them _are_ there?" Axel huffed, after exterminating the twentieth Heartless in about five minutes.

"Dunno!" Roxas yelled back, dispatching another Heartless with his keyblade. "When I saw Vexen and Zexion, they couldn't have had more than six of so in their bags. I don't understand where all of these came from! At least they're only Shadows…"

Saïx glared at him. "If you had reported on their doings immediately, we could have avoided this mayhem," he chided. "Why didn't you?"

"I'm sorry!" Roxas said timidly. "Vexen gave me an order, and I…"

They were interrupted by Demyx, who burst into the room flustered and upset. "Where's Luxord?" he asked. "I think we may have a problem…"

"Trying to expel Heartless from the Grey Area, before they eat the Moogle or something," Axel said. "Why, what's wrong?"

Demyx looked from him to Roxas to Saïx. "The Heartless got into his room; I saw the door standing open," he said. "And I think… I think they got the cards!"

* * *

The two errant boys quickly caught on that they were in trouble when they overheard Larxene and Marluxia talking to each other in the hallways. They ducked around a corner and crouched there, listening in.

"…I wouldn't want to be in _their_ shoes right now," Larxene was saying. "Xemnas was fuming. Lexaeus is out looking for them right now and _he_ didn't look too happy either. They're going to be in _so_ much trouble when they're caught!"

"They deserve it," Marluxia said, not even the slightest hint of compassion in his voice. "Those Heartless got into my garden and made a real mess. If Lexaeus finds them before I do, they'll be _lucky_."

"Hmpf. I'll remember that, Marluxia," Vexen growled when the other two Nobodies walked away. At his side, Zexion twitched nervously. "What are we going to do, Even?" the boy whispered. He was trembling. "Aeleus is going to be _so_ angry!"

"Don't worry, Ienzo," Vexen said, putting an arm around the child's shoulders and hugging him. "All we have to do is stay out of his reach." He pulled his hair thoughtfully. He wasn't worried about Lexaeus nearly as much as he was about Xemnas; he doubted even the return to his adult form would be enough to avert his leader's wrath. He briefly considered fleeing to another world and hide there, but he quickly discarded the notion. It would only land them in more trouble.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a heavy tread in the corridors. "It's Aeleus!" Zexion squeaked, risking a quick peek around the corner. "Oh no, he's found us!"

"Not yet, he hasn't!" Vexen said. He grabbed the boy's hand. "Quickly, run!"

The boys fled. When Lexaeus rounded the corner, he was looking at an empty corridor.

* * *

Xaldin eyes the mess before him with mild amazement. He'd returned from his mission shortly before dinnertime and was surprised to see the interiors of the castle thoroughly trashed.

"Whoa, there," he said, collaring Roxas as the boy ran passed him in a hurry. "What's going on? This place looks like Demyx held one of his rave parties again!"

"Vexen and Zexion," Roxas gasped, looking tired and put-out. "Vexen got changed into a kid too and they did something with Heartless – there were like millions of them! I think we got them all, but some of them stole Luxord's cards and scattered them all over the castle. We've found some of them, but a lot are still missing. And Lexaeus can't find Vexen and Zexion either. They're probably hiding. _I_ would – the Superior's real angry with them!"

The Keyblade Bearer's flood of words was halted by the appearance of Xion, who rushed into the hallway, nearly colliding with Xaldin. "Roxas!" the girl said breathlessly. "Oh, hi, Xaldin… Look, I've found some more!" She held up a pair of cards and handed them to Roxas. Xaldin looked at them both, frowning. "Weren't those cursed? And wasn't it touching them that activated them?"

Both Xion and Roxas paled, looking at each other. "Uh-oh…" the girl said, turning red. "I forgot about that…"

"Right," the lancer said, sighing. "You'd better warn Xemnas that he can add two more elements to the chaos tomorrow then – if you plan on getting some sleep tonight, that is."

He shook his head as the pair ran off. "Silly kids," he muttered. "Looks like it'll be another interesting day tomorrow. Better see Saïx and make sure I've got another mission scheduled…"

He encountered Lexaeus next. The big man was leaning against a wall with his arms crossed, looking relaxed and pensive.

"Hello," Xaldin greeted his old friend. "I heard you've had quite the eventful day at the castle. Shouldn't you be looking for Zexion and Vexen?"

"I am taking a break," Lexaeus said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The lancer looked at him sharply. "You know where they are, don't you." It was a statement, not a question.

Lexaeus grinned, flicking his thumb at the door at the end of the corridor. "Broom closet. They thought I didn't see them sneaking in there." He laughed wickedly. "I was going to confine them to their rooms. Now they've locked themselves into an even smaller room. They're punishing themselves and they don't even know it!"

"I see," Xaldin said, smiling. "How long to you intend to keep them in there?"

* * *

Vexen opened the door a bit and peeked through the crack. "He's _still_ there!" he said softly, annoyance creeping into his voice. "And now he's talking to Xaldin! We'll never get out at this rate!"

Next to him, huddled close in the cramped space, Zexion sneezed. It was a small, stifled sound, but even so, Vexen looked up swiftly to see if the two big Nobodies had heard – it seemed they hadn't – and quickly shut the door again. "Shh!"

"I'm sorry, Even," the boy whispered. "It's just so dusty in here. And something's poking in my side. Do we have to stay here long?"

"I don't know," Vexen whispered back. "Lexaeus just doesn't want to leave – I think he suspects we're in here. Just stay very quiet!"

"'kay." The child yawned and he cuddled closer to his friend. "I just hope we can get out soon. I'm getting real tired…"

"Well, you _have_ been pretty ill for a while," Vexen said, fumbling around in the dark until his hand found Zexion's forehead. It was a bit cold and clammy, but not feverish. "I guess all that running around didn't do you much good. C'mon." He pulled the small child on his lap, cradling him close and leaning back against the wall, trying to get a little more comfortable. He began to feel rather sleepy himself; it was warm and stuffy in the broom closet. "Try to get some sleep. I'm sure we'll get out of here soon enough."

"Sure, Vexen," Zexion mumbled. "G'night."

"Goodnight, Ienzo," Vexen said softly, yawning widely. Sleep sounded pretty good right now. He found himself drifting off as well.

He was too tired even to realise that Zexion had not used his original name.

* * *

"Ow!"

Vexen jolted awake, banging his head against the wall behind him. Several buckets and cleaning implements fell over and he stifled a curse. He had a cramp in his legs and he couldn't stretch them in the confined space. A heavy weight pressed down on him.

"Ienzo?" he whispered, shaking his friend's shoulder. The weight on his knees groaned and shifted. "Oww… where am I?" Zexion moaned. He tried to sit up, but there wasn't enough room. "Why is this place so darned _small_?"

Vexen managed to free his arm and reached out, opening the door. The pair tumbled out and disengaged themselves from a tangle of limbs. They raised themselves to their feet and stretched, trying to get the feeling back in their stiff legs. Vexen looked at his younger friend and raised an eyebrow. "Well, what do you know," he said. "I guess the effect was temporary after all. You've changed back."

"As have you," Zexion said, looking him up and down. "That's a relief. I was a child for a long time, wasn't I? Interesting."

"How are you feeling?" the elder scientist said, looking at him sharply. "Do you remember where we are? Who you are?"

"Of course," Zexion said. "My name is Zexion and you are Vexen. We are at the Castle That Never Was, in the World That Never Was, working on a way to attain Kingdom Hearts. I remember everything."

"Good." Vexen exhaled with relief. "Looks like there was no lasting effect."

"Other than an inexplicable craving for sea-salt ice cream, no," Zexion said, rubbing his eyes. "Let's have some, later on. Right now, we'd better find Xemnas and face the music."

"I suppose we should," Vexen agreed. "But I am _not_ looking forward to it. Our younger selves have really made a mess of things."

"Me, either," Zexion said. "But it's the right thing to do."

He sighed.

"The _adult_ thing to do."


	9. Under the Sea, Out and About

"Well," Xemnas said, rubbing his temple. "It's not as if we didn't expect this would happen. But I had hoped it would at _least_ have been a couple of hours before the trouble started."

"Where'd you find them?" Saïx asked.

"They were just in the lounge, watching television," Luxord answered, crossing his arms. "I don't know how long they've been there, but I don't think they've gotten into ay mischief. At any rate, I've seen no sign of it. But those brats sure get up early."

"Thank the stars for small favours," Xemnas sighed. He glared at the two small figures in front of him. "You two – weren't you instructed yesterday to stay in your room until Axel came to fetch you?"

Roxas squirmed. "But it's Saturday! There were cartoons on!"

"And Axel always sleeps in," Xion protested. "We'd have missed them!"

"Please don't be mad at us!" the pair said in unison, looking up at the older Nobodies with pleading eyes.

Xemnas, Saïx and Luxord exchanged some amused glances between them. Demyx, who was also present, couldn't prevent a soft giggle escaping his lips.

Roxas and Xion scowled at him, which only sent him into fits of laughter. They were just too _cute_.

Both of them looked as if they'd just enrolled into kindergarten. With their round faces, identical pairs of bright blue eyes and their Organisation cats, they looked like twins. Their pouty expressions clashed with their angelic faces and only made them look more adorable.

"Oh Saïx, Xemnas," Demyx gasped, quite overcome by laughter now. "How could you ever be angry at _that_?"

"Quite easily," Xemnas said, glaring at the blond-haired youth. "About as easily as I could get angry with _you_. Shall I demonstrate?"

This sobered up Demyx rather quickly and he relapsed into silence, wiping tears from his eyes. "No thanks you. I'm good."

"Speaking of Axel," Saïx said, "the children do have a point. He _is_ late. I wonder if…"

He was interrupted by the flame-wielder's appearance. Axel looked flustered and upset. "Roxas and Xion aren't in their rooms!" he stated. "The doors were open, and – oh." Only then did he see the two children stand in the middle of the room and he fell silent. "They're already here," he added lamely.

"No thanks to _you_," Luxord said, frowning at the redhead.

"Yeah, well," Axel said, rubbing his head. "You know how early little kids get up. Bet they were watching cartoons too?"

He nearly got bowled off his feet by Larxene and Lexaeus, who entered the Grey Area in a hurry. "I wouldn't go out there if I were you!" Larxene announced to no-one in particular. She shook rime frost from her hair. "Not if you value your life. Vexen is in a bad mood."

"That reminds me," Xemnas said calmly. "Due to yesterday's events, the castle is still in a mess. The children can't stay here. It's too dangerous for them."

"Yeah well, mostly they'd be in danger from _Vexen_," Larxene giggled.

"Hey, you'd be grumpy too if you had to clean up all that mess with only Zexion to help you!" Demyx retorted.

Saïx frowned at them both and they fell silent. "Please continue, Superior," he said politely to Xemnas.

"Right," Xemnas said. "Axel, you're on babysitting duty. Take them somewhere else – somewhere _safe_," he added. "Keep them out of trouble and be back by evening."

Axel rolled his eyes when Xemnas left. "Why me?" he complained. "I'd say it's someone else's turn now."

He sighed. "Well, can't be helped. Let's go, Demyx." He grabbed his friend's arm.

"What, me?" the musician protested. "He appointed _you_ – he didn't say anything about _me_. Why are you're making _your_ problem _my_ problem?"

Axel took him in a headlock and pulled him close to his body. "How about we make it _our_ problem and I don't create a whole _new_ problem for _you_?" he asked in a dangerously neutral tone of voice. Demyx squirmed. "A-alright! I suppose it beats going on missions, right?"

He rubbed his neck when the fire-wielder released him. "So where are we going? The beach again?"

"No – too risky, with you the only one able to swim," Axel said. "What if they fall into the water? Besides, last time we checked Destiny Islands, there was a storm coming up."

Demyx chuckled. "So you want to go somewhere with no risk of drowning, eh? I know just the place." He created a portal and bowed with mock courtesy to Axel and the children. "After you."

Axel looked at the gate with undisguised suspicion. "And where is _that_ leading?" he inquired.

"Wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, would it?" Demyx said, smirking at him.

Axel wasn't left much of a choice. At the word "surprise", Xion and Roxas squealed with delight and jumped through. Axel groaned and leaped after them. Demyx was grinning widely as he followed.

"Oh, this is going to be so much _fun_!" the young musician exclaimed.

* * *

"I am _so_ gonna kill you," Axel growled, glaring at Demyx.

The musician assumed the most innocent expression he could muster. "What? There's _no_ way you could drown _here_. Besides, the kids love it."

Axel sighed and looked around him. He felt like a fish out of water – which, he supposed, was the worst analogy he could come up with, considering.

He floated in the water, swishing his red-gold tail gently with the current. He didn't know where the tail came from – somehow it just appeared when he came out of the portal. Some kind of magic, he supposed.

Demyx, Roxas and Xion had tails of their own. Demyx's was gold-coloured, matching his hair, and those of Xion and Roxas were as blue as their eyes. Looking at the pint-size Nobodies frolicking in the underwater world of Atlantica in which the foursome found themselves, Axel had to admit; they _were_ having fun.

"Demyx! Demyx!" Xion cried, swimming up to the two older Nobodies. Her black hair floated around her head like a halo. "If we're underwater, how come I can't hold my breath forever?" Little Roxas came up behind her and they both looked up with quizzical faces.

"Uh," Demyx said, looking just as puzzled. "That's because, um…"

Axel rolled his eyes. "It's because you still need oxygen," he told the small girl. Only now you're breathing water instead of air, and you get it from _that_."

Xion looked at Roxas triumphantly. "See, I told you we should have asked Axel first!" she said. "He knows _everything_!"

"Yeah, right," Demyx muttered as the two children swam away. "Do they even know what any of that means?" He looked sideways at Axel. "You told them nonsense anyway. Everyone knows there's no oxygen in water!"

The fire-wielder threw him a disgusted look and swam after their two small charges.

His fool mood lifted after a while, when he became accustomed to the use of his tail and fins. He marvelled at how easy it was and actually started to regret never having learned how to swim before. Drifting happily through the water, he almost forgot to look after the children, until he saw them hovering excitedly over something small and red. He swam closer.

"What's that you've got there?" he asked, wondering idly where Demyx was. Probably goofing off somewhere.

"Nothing!" Xion said hurriedly, hiding the whatever-it-was behind her back. An indignant squeal sounded from between her hands.

"That _nothing_ sounds an awful lot like _something_," Axel said. "Come on, let's have it!"

Xion sighed reluctantly and held her cupped hands up to Axel so he could look inside. Two large eyes on stilts looked back at him.

"Who are you?" a voice sounded muffled from between Xion's fingers. "I demand that you release me at once!"

Xion looked up at Axel hopefully. "He's funny! Can we keep him?"

"No!" Axel said. "It must be one of the inhabitants of this world. Let him go!"

Disappointed, Xion opened her hands and spread them apart. The small crab-creature drifted in the water for a moment, blinking in confusion, and then suddenly spurred into motion, pedalling furiously and yelling at the top of his lungs.

"Intruders! Intruders! Intr- ow!"

The noise was broken off abruptly as Demyx slammed down a large shell on top of him, keeping him firmly confined by slapping his hand over the opening.

"_Gosh_, but that thing sure makes a lot of noise!" he said. "He'll bring all of Atlantica down on us if we're not careful!" From within the conch, muffled protests could still be heard. "What do we do with him? We can't just release him!"

Axel sighed. "Looks like we'd better leave," he said. "I don't want to get in trouble with the locals – not with the kids to look after."

"Aww!" Xion said.

"Do we _have_ to go?" Roxas whined.

Axel looked at the two downcast faces. "Sorry kids. Hey – we'll go for ice-cream in Twilight Town – how's that?"

Xion and Roxas cheered up considerably at that prospect.

Demyx carefully wedged the sea shell between two rocks on the sea bottom. "It'll take a while for him to escape from that," he said. "We'll be long gone by then."

Roxas and Xion cast sad glances over their shoulders as Axel created a dark portal, but the thought of Twilight Town and sea-salt ice cream soon drove all further thoughts of water adventures out of their minds.

* * *

Seifer and his friends were loafing about at the Sandlot, their usual hanging out place, but didn't notice the dark gateway appearing in a nearby alley. They did not see four black-robed figures – two tall, two little – step through.

"All clear," Axel called. "I shall go for ice cream – you three look for a nice spot to eat it."

"Up there!" Xion cried with glee, pointing at the bell tower. Axel followed her pointing finger, then looked back at the two little children looking up at him expectantly. "Ah – let's not, kids. Not today. Don't want you to trip or something and tumble all the way down."

"But… it's where we _always_ eat ice cream!" Roxas said, his lower lip beginning to tremble.

"We'll be really, really careful," Xion promised, a tear sliding down her nose.

"Oh – drat!" Axel said, looking from one to the other, at a loss.

"Hey, how about we go sit on top of the hill?" Demyx suggested. "You can look at the trains from there – wouldn't you like that?" The children's faces brightened. "Can we write the train?" Roxas asked hopefully.

"Maybe later," Demyx said. "How about ice cream first, huh?"

"You go on ahead," Axel told him. "I'll be right back. Don't let them wander off and get in trouble!" He stood for a moment and watched as Demyx made his way to the hill, holding a toddler by each hand. "Aw, how cute," he mumbled. "I should tease him about it later." He chuckled to himself and wandered off on his errand.

* * *

"Aah – this is the life," Axel sighed, looking up at the sky. He was stretched out on the grass on Sunset Hill, liking the last of his ice cream from its stick. Equally lazy, Demyx leaned against a fence, with one child on his lap and the other draped over his legs. "Toldya it was a good idea," he said.

"_You_ did?" Axel sat up, glaring at him. "It was _my_ idea to go for ice cream. _You_ just wanted to go on a stupid sea adventure!"

"Hey Xion, Roxy," Demyx said, ignoring him. "I think Axel wants to play. Doesn't he make a nice trampoline?"

"Wha-? No! Stop!" Axel yelled as he got pounced upon by two gleeful little kids. "Oof! Roxas – you're too heavy! Get off my stomach – I just ate! Demyx, I'm going to get you for this!"

He tried to release himself from the tangle of chubby arms and legs, but once they had hold of their prey, Xion and Roxas proved without mercy. "Ow – no tickling! _No tickling!_"

It proved fortunate for Demyx that Axel couldn't show off the little Nobodies, for he would have made a far easier target himself, rolling over the ground helpless with laughter.

* * *

It was getting later in the day. Made drowsy by the warm weather, the foursome soon dropped off to sleep and had been slumbering for the greater part of the afternoon. For a while it seemed that nothing would wake them, but then a dog came running up the hill. It looked around, panting with the effort of the descent, and then spotted the still bodies and ran up to them eagerly.

It licked Axel's face first, but the fire-wielder fended him off in his sleep, never waking up. Next it ran over to the children and planted its paw smack in the middle of Roxas' belly.

"Oof!" The small Nobody bolted upwards. "Doggie!" he cried happily when he saw the cause of his rude awakening.

"Wha' is it?" Xion murmured sleepily. She sat up next to him. "It's a doggie!" Roxas said excitedly. "I think he wants to play!" He pulled at the dog's ears and it barked. It ran away, but came back just as quickly, wagging its tail eagerly.

"Ssh!" Xion said, giggling. She stood up, tripped over the dog and nearly fell over Demyx, who mumbled something and rolled over. Xion hastily climbed back to her feet and pulled back the canine, but Demyx remained slumbering comfortably.

The children and their new friend were interrupted in their play by the sound of a train passing by. The little Nobodies ran up to the fence that overlooked the track and looked down, watching it disappear around the bend.

"I want to ride it," Roxas said wistfully.

"Let's ask," Xion said. "They did say that maybe we could."

She dropped to her knees at Axel's side and shook him. "Axel – Axel! Wake up!"

"Mmph – let me sleep!" Axel murmured… and slept on.

"Demyx? Can we go ride the train?" Roxas asked, poking Demyx in the side.

"Um – go away!" Demyx mumbled… and continued to doze.

Roxas rose to his feet and went to stand next to Xion. "They're not waking up!" he said indignantly.

"Let's go anyway," Xion suggested. "You hea'ed what Demyx said. "Go away," he said."

Roxas hesitated, a niggling little voice in the back of his mind insisting that this was definitely not what Demyx had meant – but the lure of the train proved too great. "Let's go," he affirmed. "I know where the station is!"

Together they bounded off, their new four-footed friend in tow, down the hill and to the station, leaving the two older Nobodies behind in blissful slumber.

* * *

Small as they were, the diminutive Nobodies had no problem slipping aboard the train unnoticed. They went through a slight moment of tension as the dog attempted to play with the train conductor, but the man just assumed it was with somebody else and took no notice.

Xion and Roxas had a stellar time riding the train through Twilight Town. Although in their more grown-up forms they had been sent on missions in the place, they had never had the opportunity to ride the train before and they got to see the town from a whole different angle.

It was only after the fourth round that they began to get bored and jittery. "Maybe we should go back," Xion said, uneasily. "Axel an' Demyx might've woke up by now and wondering where we are."

"Let's," Roxas agreed.

But getting off the train they met with an unpleasant surprise. Twilight Town's self-appointed Disciplinary Committee was waiting for them at the exit. "Ticket check!" Seifer, their leader, announced. He spotted the two little kids (plus dog) and glared down at them. "Hey, you two – were you on that train unattended? Show your tickets!"

"We - we don't have any," Roxas said, taking a step back and bumping into Xion. They wanted to flee back onto the train, but the door had already slid shut behind them. Trapped between Seifer and the train, they had nowhere to go.

"So you don't have tickets, do you? What about your parents?"

"We don't have any of _those_ either," Xion said from behind Roxas' spiky hair. Seifer took a threatening step in their direction. "Are you saying you rode on the train without paying for your fare?"

"W-we're very sorry!" Roxas said, getting scared.

"We won't do it again!" Xion added in a quivering voice.

"Too late now!" Seifer said. "Do you know what happens to little brats who ride trains without buying a ticket in _our_ town?"

"They get spanked, y'know!" Rai added gleefully.

"Punishment!" Fuu agreed.

"No!" Roxas protested. He grabbed Xion's hand and tried to run past the three bullies, but Rai snatched him up by the collar and handed him to Seifer. Fuu took hold of Xion and held her tight, despite her struggles. The dog, thinking it was all jolly good fun, started running in circles and barking furiously. Seifer frowned, trying to get a proper hold on the fighting, kicking Roxas. "Will someone shut up that dog?" he snapped. "As for you…" he tucked Rocas firmly under one arm, flipping up the Nobody's black coat, and raised his hand high in the air. "I'll teach you some manners!"

Little Roxas clenched his fists and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the hand to come down on his poor defenceless bottom. But it never did.

Seifer dropped Roxas, yelping in pain and surprise as someone grabbed his wrist from behind and held it in a death-like grip. "Those little squirts are _ours_," a voice hissed in his ear. "They need punishing, _we_'ll be the ones to take care of it. _Got it memorised?_"

"Axel!" Xion and Roxas cried happily. "Demyx!"

"Hiya, kids," the redheaded fire-wielder said. "Be right with you. Me and Demyx – we've got to put out the trash."

Seifer stumbled backwards as Axel released him and glared at the Nobody. "You'll regret this!" he hissed through clenched teeth. "Nobody interferes with the Disciplinary Committee! Nobody – ack! My coat's on fire!"

Panicking, Seifer ran around in circles while his friends tried to put out the flames and Axel and Demyx bent over double with laughter. The dog added to the fun by chasing after the Twilight Tow threesome and nipping at their ankles.

Finally the fun ended when a big splash of water came out of nowhere, dousing Seifer as well as his partners in crime. For a moment, it seemed as if the three bullies wished to start a fight, but – after one look at Axel and Demyx, who were looking very grim and intimidating in their black cloaks (Axel added to the image by creating a flame on the palm of his hand) – they ran off.

"You know," Demyx said, chuckling. "That guy was right. He said nobody would dare to interfere with him – and they just did. _Two_ Nobodies, in fact."

But Axel was quiet. Roxas and Xion had been laughing too, but fell silent when it gradually started to dawn on them that the grim glare Axel was sending into the world might _not_ be completely directed at Seifer and his gang.

Demyx was slower on the uptake but he slowly became aware of the gravity of the mood as well. He quit laughing and looked uneasily from Axel to the two children, who clung together, looking up at their friend with wide eyes.

"C'mon, guys!" Demyx said, in a desperate attempt to clear the air. "We chased away the bad guys and all's well! Who's up for another ice cream?"

"No ice cream," Axel said in a strange strained voice. "Little kids who run away leaving us all worried don't deserve ice cream." He opened a dark portal and picked up the children, one under each arm. "We're going home."

* * *

"Hey," Larxene said as she, Marluxia, Xigbar and Xaldin came upon Axel striding through the corridors of the Castle That Never Was. "How'd your trip go? Uh-oh," she added as she took in Axel's expression and the two weakly struggling toddlers under his arms. "That bad, huh?"

Xigbar grinned. "It always seems to end in a spanking, doesn't it? I don't know what those two did, but I sure wouldn't want to be in _their_ shoes right now! Okay, blondie," – he intercepted Demyx who was following Axel, looking anxious and uncertain – "you're coming with me so you can tell us the whole story."

"But-," Demyx looked after Axel.

"No buts – I'm sure Flamehair over there can handle things fine on his own."

"Oh, I think there will be butts – two very red ones, I'd say," Larxene giggled.

Demyx threw her a hurt look. "That was _mean_, Larxene! Those poor kids…"

The rest of his protests were strangled as Xigbar grabbed him by one arm, Larxene grabbed the other, and he was dragged away to regale them with tales of the trip. Xaldin walked behind, shaking his head. Marluxia lingered for a while, looking confused.

"Does it smell like dog in here?"

* * *

Axel marched over to Roxas' room and put the children down inside, kicking the door shut. They both stared up at him, too scared to make a sound.

"What," Axel said, making a sweeping motion with his arm, an angry gesture, "did you two think you were doing, running off on your own? You could have gotten hurt, could have gotten lost, could have fallen in front of a train, could have fallen _out_ of a train – do you have _any_ idea how worried you've made us?"

Roxas and Xion were too stricken to make a reply, but apparently Axel wasn't expecting one: he just raged on.

"What would the Superior have said if we'd returned without you? Huh? You _wanted_ to land me an' Demyx in trouble? Seriously, have you no sense at _all_?"

He passed a hand over his eyes and forced himself to calm down. "Alright, let's get this over with. You _know_ what the Rules say about children who run away…"

Little Xion looked puzzled, but Roxas turned very pale. "No…" he protested, his hands moving to protect his bottom. "We'll be good!"

"Should have thought of that earlier," Axel said. He knelt down on one knee and, grabbed Roxas by the arm, pulled him over the other.

Roxas struggled, but as the red-haired Nobody brought a heavy hand down on his bottom, he stiffened and uttered a small plaintive cry. He didn't have time to catch his bearings before Axel hit him again, eliciting another cry. Tears started to pour from the little boy's eyes as he was hit a third time.

Xion, looking on as her friend got spanked, had already started crying as loudly as Roxas. She sank down at the foot of the bed and made no move to struggle or run away when Axel put Roxas down and pulled her over to take his place.

Axel made sure to spank her just as long and hard as he had Roxas, but by then his anger had dissipated and his mood began to soften at the sounds of muffled sobs coming from both children.

"Alright then," he said, setting Xion back on her feet. "We're all done now – stop crying. I'm no longer angry, alright?"

"But my butt's still hurting!" Roxas said, making Axel laugh. This drew indignant stares from both children, making him laugh even louder. The laughter felt good, relieving the tension he'd felt ever since he woke up that afternoon in Twilight Town to find his two little friends gone. He ruffled their hair and they looked up at him suspiciously, but no longer crying. "Go to bed," he told them. "You must be tired. Maybe Demyx will come by later to tell you a story."

"And we can have some ice cream?" Xion asked, her face brightening hopefully.

"No ice cream," Axel said. "You've still been bad, remember?"

* * *

He came upon Demyx in the hallway. "How are the kids doing?" the young musician asked.

"They're doing okay – I've sent them to bed," Axel replied. "Said you'd be by to tell them a story later."

"Yeah – I'll do that now," Demyx said. "Hope you weren't too hard on them – they're still little kids, after all."

"Nah, they'll be – what are you hiding?" Axel asked, suddenly realising that Demyx was acting a bit suspicious.

The blond Nobody quickly pulled his hands out of his pockets and hid them behind his back. "Nothing – you go on doing… whatever it is you're doing. I'll go tell the kids their bedtime story. Yeah, that's what I'll do…"

Axel stared hard at him, but Demyx just looked back innocently, edging away towards Roxas' room.

The red-haired Nobody sighed and gave up, sauntering away. Sighing in relief, Demyx ducked into the room and closed the door behind him.

* * *

Later on, when Axel went back into the room to check on the little Nobodies, he found them huddled close together, sound asleep. Axel smiled, then frowned and looked a little closer.

Both children were clutching a familiar stick in their hands and their mouths were sticky with ice cream. Axel shook his head as he pulled the blankets up around them and dislodged the sticks.

"That Demyx!" he muttered. "I'll never trust him acting all innocent, ever again."


End file.
